Halo
by BeachBunnyLuvsU
Summary: Amy survived the camp's attack and later on finds herself struggling with her feelings for a certain hotheaded crossbow-weilding redneck. And to further complicate things, add teenage hormones, conflict stirring within the group, and watching your neck at all times. REVISED!
1. I Need a Hero

**_Author's Note: Hey everyone, it's BeachBunnyLuvsU and this is my 4th fanfic, also my first Walking Dead. Hated how Amy died too soon since we didn't get to know her, so I've decided to make some changes here. I was not the one to get the first idea of pairing her and Daryl together, but it needs to happen. Enjoy and give plenty of feedback! Takes place in "Vatos."_**

BTW, story has been revised!

Amy's POV

"_This is it, this is our new world. With everything gone to shit, we don't have much of our old lives anymore. But all I want to know is how in the hell can they sit here and laugh? Don't they realize that this is us now, our lives and what we do? Just fight a fight that we are sure to lose. My name is Amy Palmer and this is the world I now live in."_

End of Amy's POV

She wasn't going to lie about Dale being funny, but for now she just faked it to get through another night of exchanging stories about life before the geek infection hit.

Dale went on and on about some kind of watch, making her wrinkle her nose at him. The group all sat in a moment of silence before the seventeen year-old broke it. "You are so weird." She shook her head at him, knocking back her water as laughter erupted from the circle of people.

She erased those horrible, wretched thoughts swimming in her head from earlier as she slowly lifted herself up, not even bothering to excuse herself, since she didn't want to share the fact that she had to pee; she was a teenager who appreciated her privacy.

"Where are you going?" asked Andrea, whipping her head to her younger sibling, acting more like the protective older sister she never was before.

Being thirty-two years old with a teenage sibling in an apocalyptic world, Andrea made it her personal mission to protect Amy at all cost since she had already failed to be around in their younger days.

But who could blame her? She couldn't help that they were twelve years born apart.

Amy ducked her head a bit out of embarrassment, feeling the heat rush to her face. "Um… I have to pee. Geez, you try to be discreet around here." She somewhat whispered.

"The fish is really good Amy!" shouted Sophia, the young girl happily shoving a forkful of grilled fish into her mouth.

Putting a smile on the tortured young girl and her mother's faces made Amy spread a smile across her face, waving off a "thank you" as she made her way to Dale's RV.

She hated when the feeling of happiness faded to sadness and emptiness, but this was normal for her ever since the infection hit and the walkers took over. Amy simply threw the emotions away as she threw open the door and began her hunt for a roll of toilet paper.

Meanwhile, not too far from the camp fire consisting of the other Atlanta survivors, Ed continuously rolled around in his sleep, trying to find a comfortable spot in the tent despite the hungry mosquitoes nipping away at his boiling skin.

The rustling of leaves and heavy footsteps made him shoot up from his sleep, fighting to open his black eye even wider to identify whoever was fiddling with the tent zipper.

"Hey! Ya'll best get out of here and leave me alone! I done told you to leave me be." He threatened with his deep Southern accent, mixed with anger and threat when truthfully he feared it was Shane, ready for round two on his face.

"Hey get away from here and leave me be!" he jumped up from his position of lying down to his side as he pulled the zipper up to open up the tent flap, meeting the figure of a woman in his face.

"Carol?" he asked, hopeful it was her.

Sadly for him, this woman was not her, nor was she a human. With her flesh torn from her neck, it was easy to identify her as a walker, hungrily eyeing her prey like a wild animal closing in for the kill.

She let out a guttural growl as she leaned forward, falling on top of a screaming Ed as he flailed his arms around while she sunk her teeth into his throat; the other walkers behind followed suit, joining in on their new meal.

While Ed's life had come to an abrupt end, Amy and the others were completely unaware of the danger lurking nearby in the darkness as they carried on with themselves.

Frustrated her search came to an end with no luck, she threw open the RV door, looking on to the circle of survivors as she yelled out to them.

"We're out of toilet paper!" she yelled out not as loud as she intended to.

Annoyed if not anything else, she was about to search for herself a descent bush until the familiar sounds of moans surrounded her. She slowly whipped her head to her left to see a tall walker slowly approaching her.

Having never been the kind to fight at first instinct, she let out an ear piercing scream as the pale figure held his hands out to her; shaken with fear, she ended up falling on the step on the RV in shock.

Andrea immediately shot around at the sound of her only surviving family in distress, grabbing the wrist of Shane all while he snatched up his rifle. "AMY! NO!" she shot up from the dirt along with Lori, Carl, Shane, Dale, and the others as they scattered in different directions to evade the living dead.

The undead man threw himself onto the frightened young girl as she pushed away at his chest, keeping her hands as far away from his mouth as possible.

Using the handle door, Amy pulled herself out of the clutches of the walker, kicking him in the face and sending him flying to the ground just as she got inside the RV, slamming the door shut.

"SHANE!" screamed a frightened Lori, warm tears cascaded down her face while she hung onto her son protectively as she shoved through the crowd of people scattering across the camp like ants.

She never once left Shane's side. "GET BEHIND ME!" yelled the officer as he shot off another round into a walker's head.

Close by, Carol fearfully cradled Sophia, keeping her close and out of harm's way. Right beside them, Dale took out two walkers with his shotgun, sending the walking corpses to the ground in a bloody heap.

The only words that came to mind about the massacre around the Atlanta survivors was carnage. Blood. Death. Walkers everywhere.

Many were lucky enough to evade the fate of death while others weren't as fortunate.

Morales whacked away at the head of what used to be a man before it could even approach him, using the 2X4 as a deadly weapon. He looked back at the small group forming around Shane, thankful to see his wife and children still alive.

Jacqui and Jim, brandishing an axe and a bat rushed up to the trio of walkers banging on the door which kept them from Amy.

With only a few swings, the bodies of the undead hit the dirt with a thud. Jacqui swung the door open to reveal the frightened blonde, eyes red from crying, taking her hand and helping her to her feet.

"You ok sweetie?" she asked frantically, putting both hands on her shoulders.

Lips trembling and feet about ready to buckle, Amy nodded before whipping her head to find Andrea.

"GET OUT OF HERE!" Jim yelled to her, breaking another walker's arm with the swing of the bat.

Doing as she was told, she took off to find safety, not like it would be easy. She ducked quick enough to miss the grasp of another zombie, picking herself up before she could fall to her knees.

Shoving through the bushes and trees, Rick was welcomed to the horrific situation in which friends, family, and other survivors were fighting through.

"No….LORI! CARL!" he threw up his gun and pulled the trigger, nailing an undead woman right in the head as she approached his family.

"DAD!" yelled little Carl, still holding onto his mother.

Behind him were Glenn, T-Dog, and Daryl, having loaded up on some good weapons back in the city. They joined in on the fight, aiding Shane and the other survivors.

"AMY! AMY!" Andrea was now in hysterics, being pushed and knocked down as she searched around for her younger sister. Staring through the dust and numerous bodies, she promised to send a prayer to God later once she spotted Amy, also looking around for her. "AMY!"

"ANDREA!" the younger sister smiled once she spotted her sibling, so happy she remained in her spot, which she would later regret.

A nearby walker set its sights on her, somewhat jogging by her as she screamed and took off toward her sister. Fear overcame her, making her much more vulnerable to the monster; her heart skipped a beat when she felt it grab onto her shirt, tugging at the fabric and throwing her to the ground.

Shielding her arms in front of her face, she let out another scream as she waited for the worst to come. "NOOO!" she practically gave up, knowing this was the end.

She waited for the walker to sink its teeth into her flesh when an arrow made its way into the head, killing the walker and saving Amy's life. She turned to her side to meet eyes with her hero: crossbow wielding redneck, Daryl Dixon.

She extended her arms out to him, allowing herself to be picked up and set on her feet. "NO TIME CHIT CHATTIN' LITTLE PALMER! STAY BY ME!" he aimed for another shot and fired, making his mark in between the eyes of a zombie.

Not even caring how much of a scared child she felt like, the blonde clutched onto the redneck from behind as he shot off a few more arrows, all while Rick and Shane fired off a few more rounds.

The walker's murderous rampage seemed to have lasted for hours on end, until the last shot was fired from Rick's pistol; the cop lowered the gun to his side, grabbing his wife and son, taking them both off their feet as they both cried in his arms.

Amy remained frozen in the arms of Daryl, failing to even notice Andrea and Dale run up to her and lock her in a deep embrace.

The last thing she thought about was instant relief; all she saw around her was death. The bodies of both walkers and the now lost survivors littered the ground.

She took a few steps out of the arms of Andrea, blankly staring off into the camp now turned into a cemetery. All she saw was black; that's all she remembered before falling to her knees and blacking out, Glenn having jumped up and caught her before she could hit the ground.

Death was everywhere for them all to see.


	2. What All We Lost

The following morning, many of the camp's men were doing the dirty job of bashing in or impaling the skulls of the deceased walkers and lost campers to assure no reanimation or further troubles for now. For the bystanders, it was almost too much to bare.

As for Rick, he sat on a log, solemnly speaking into a walkie talkie, praying to the Gods that Morgan would be on the other end, listening to his voice.

"Atlanta isn't what it used to be. It belongs to the dead now. Now, you take care of your boy, you hear? And know this, we are heading to the CDC incase you want to follow. You take care Morgan."

Miranda quickly ushered her children inside the RV to avoid them from witnessing Daryl impale the heads of the dead and the undead all while Glenn and T-Dog tossed the walkers' bodies into the fire.

While Morales helped Daryl drag a deceased camper over to the rising flames to be incinerated, a shaky Glenn trailed behind them. "What are you doing? Our people go in that row over there. We don't burn them."

"Settle down China man. It's only to assure our safety." Grunted Daryl, continuing to drag the man to the fire. "Can't have em' poppin' up like daisies."

"No, no no! We don't burn them! We bury them! They need to be buried." Sniffled Glenn, glossy eyes darting back and forth between the two men before he walked away, not letting his emotions remain concealed.

Morales, having long dropped the man's arm, looked back at the annoyed redneck and shook his head. "He's right. These people need to be given some form of peace."

"Fucking bleeding hearts of the world unite." Mumbled Daryl, with the help of Morales, dragged the body towards the opposite direction of the flame to the center of camp.

Meanwhile, Amy remained inside the RV, peacefully curled up under the sheets with half her face buried into the pillow. As she slowly emerged from the deep sleep, the faint voices from outside became louder and more understandable, making her shoot up from the bed.

"_Walkers!" _she thought to herself, having had last night's horrific memories pour back into her mind. She grabbed her closest footwear near the bed, a pair of pink converse, and shoved them onto her hot feet before leaping out of bed and throwing open the door.

"_Please let this be a nightmare." _The young, blonde woman stomped down the steps in a hurry, saddened and sickened to the scene that her eyes lay on. Bodies of over 20 or more littered the middle of the camp ground, some belonging to walkers while the remaining were the survivors.

"Lori!" yelled Amy, jogging over to the wife and mother, who held Carl close to her while Rick assisted Shane with more work.

The older woman turned to her name being called, then whipped back to her son, lowering herself to his level. "How about you hang around Sophia and the other kids. Let me have a talk with Amy."

Carl nodded his head and did as he was told, walking over to find his newest companions; Lori ruffled his hair a bit before watching her only child take off. "So," she watched Carl run past Dale. "You do remember what happened last night, correct?"

Amy blankly stared for a second, processing the words and the memories as reality sunk in. Crossing her arms, she nodded her head. "Didn't I almost…." Sniffed the young college girl, wiping under her watery blue eyes. Lori slowly nodded her head.

Amy ran her fingers through her hair, sniffling even harder than before, looking from side to side as the horrific sight around her brought her to tears. "Andrea?" tears were now flowing down her face.

Lori stretched a smile across her face, happy to deliver the first bit of good news to the younger survivor. "Don't fret Amy; she's fine. If you ask me, she's more concerned for you."

"Yeah," Amy sniffed, nodding her head and giggling a bit, "She's more like a mom now than a sister sometimes."

Together, the two women shared a little laughter, despite the predicament they were in. With the world gone to hell, there needed to be some something to lighten things up.

"A walker got him! A walker bit Jim!" screamed Jacqui nearby, dropping her axe, while she pointed her finger at Jim, who nervously backed up.

Lori and Amy turned around, jogging over to the crowd now forming around the mechanic, some with looks of concern while others were on a hunt for blood.

Daryl, having armed himself with a pickaxe, raised it up, preparing to execute Jim. "Let us see then!"

"Jim! Don't make this hard on yourself!" yelled Dale, stepping in between the newly infected man and the women.

Scared and cornered like a fearful rabbit, Jim grabbing a shovel from the dirt, more than ready to swing.

"LOOK OUT FOR THE SHOVEL!" yelled Shane, gently shoving Lori aside. From behind, T-Dog took the opportunity to jump up and grab Jim, putting him in a submission hold while Daryl marched up to him, lifting up his shirt, revealing the bite mark on his torso.

"My God." Andrea mumbled, slowly taking her hat off, Jacqui at her side with her hands covering her mouth. Both women were more scared for Jim than angry like the others.

"I'm ok. I'm ok. I'm ok." Jim said, trying to convince the other survivors around him, knowing his fate was sealed.

To assure safety for the others, Shane demand Jim be kept away from any people, having him stand close by the RV. The women and children all stood by the RV, Carol gently placing a cold cloth over his head. In the circle stood Shane, Rick, Daryl, T-Dog, Glenn and Dale.

"I say we put a pickaxe in his head." Muttered Daryl.

Dale slung his binoculars over his shoulder. "I think Daryl is right…"

"No!" ordered Rick, slamming his gun onto the back of Daryl's truck. "We are not going to kill an innocent man."

"But, what about the safety of the others, and the attack last night?" questioned Glenn, crossing his arms. "Aren't we putting them in danger?"

The redneck scoffed at the whimpering Korean man. "What the hell was I saying before? Zero-tolerance for walkers! Then the China man gets all emotional and shit when we try to burn the bodies!"

"It's called a heart, something you and your white trash brother seem to lack!"

Daryl flew into a fury, stepping up to Glenn, getting right into his face. "YOU LEAVE MERLE OUT OF THIS! I WILL PUT THIS FOOT UP YOUR SKINNY…"

Dale shoved between the two men, not too hard though. Shane grabbed onto Glenn while Rick got a hold of Daryl. "Guys, please. We're not going there today! We need to figure out what to do with Jim." Pleaded the older man. "That is our main priority."

"Now settle down you two. Best chance for Jim would be the CDC," Rick placed his hands from Daryl's shirt to his belt. "What we need to do is get him help. We can't just give up on him like this

"Hell no! We can't take that chance Rick, not at all. Besides, there's also Fort Benning out there. Only 100 miles in the other direction."

"They said there was a cure, Shane."

"Well goddamn, they said a lot of shit! Now how much of it is true?" debated the dark haired cop.

"We need to give it a chance. It has all we need: food, shelter, and safety from any more danger."

"Well you two think bout' that. I already know where my head is with this." Shooting up, pickaxe in hand, the redneck marched over to the now infected mechanic as quickly as his feet could carry him, despite the weight of the metal pulling him down.

"DARYL! NO!" Jacqui leaped before Jim, acting as a human shield to spare his life. Lori, being the protective individual she is, pushed behind her and out of harm's way.

"RICK!" shouted Lori.

"Daryl?" Rick leaped from his sitting position on the back of the truck, along with the other men. "DARYL! Don't touch him!" shouted Rick, racing to Jim's aide.

"Please…" Jim weakly backed up, throwing his hands up in defense. Brandishing his weapon, Daryl readied himself to swing until he felt his weapon nearly snatched from his grasp. Before he knew it, he had turned around to meet with Rick, tugging at the pickaxe at the other end.

"DAMMIT RICK! YOU BEST LET GO SO I CAN DO MY JOB!" Daryl yanked so hard, he had Rick skid across the dirt, the deputy's boots dug deeper into the dirt.

"We don't kill the living." Muttered the husband and father, yanking back with equal force.

Shane leaped into the struggle, grabbing a hold of the middle of the pickaxe. "BREAK IT UP!" he screamed. "STOP!"

All at once, the three men lost their grip on the weapon, only watching it fall to the dirt. Rick and Shane fell in the dirt as well, while Daryl flew back towards the crowd, angrily swinging his arms. Unfortunately for Amy, she happened to have picked the worst place to stand, Daryl's fist catching her nose by mistake, making her fall to her knees catching the blood droplets which fell.

"Oh my God!" Jacqui knelt down by Amy, gently pulling hair out of her face to inspect the injury. Andrea threw her bag off her shoulder, kneeling down to her sister as well.

"YOU'RE A DUMBASS DIXON!" she evilly eyed him, throwing her shirt off her body and pressing it to her sister's bloody nose.

"HELL IT AIN'T MY FAULT!" yelled the redneck, becoming overwhelmed with guilt. "HE THE ONE HERE GRABBING THE DAMN PICKAXE!"

While Rick and Shane rushed to Amy's side, Daryl only remained glued in his spot, feeling like more of an ass at each second passing by, listening to the sickening sounds of Amy spitting out the blood.

X

X

X

Among one of the deceased members of the encampment was Ed, lying in the dirt in a bloody heap. Chunks of his flesh were missing, some of his bones were jutting out, and he was even missing a couple of limbs.

Although he was an abuser, even the Earth's lowest of scum sometimes don't deserve a fate as painful and brutal as his.

Little Sophia had wandered away from Carl and the other children, and went on a silent hunt for her father, until she finally came across his demolished corpse. Her frail legs buckled beneath her and landed right in the blood-stained dirt.

"Dad?" she cautiously questioned, pulling her knees into her chest once she realized the inevitable truth; her father was dead. Gone. No longer a part of all that lived among the world of the dead.

Ed Peletier may have been one of the biggest fears on her list, but still, he was Sophia's father, and she loved him for the minimal amount of good in his soul and conscience.

The faint sound of footsteps grew heavier at each approaching second towards the painfully numbed child "Sophia." Came Carol's soft voice, the new widow took careful steps towards her child.

Without a warning, Daryl scooped the pre-teen girl into his arms and lifted her off the ground. He immediately turned her gaze away from Ed's body and handed her off to Lori. "Don't look. Don't look." he gently whispered into her ear.

It killed him inside to see her undergo this, but the job had to be done. He raised the pick axe above his head, only after he was positive Lori had removed Sophia from the scene.

"Wait." Said Carol stepping up alongside the young man. "I'll do it. He's my husband."

Giving her a silent look of question, he quietly surrendered the pick axe to her and watched as the wife and mother delivered a fatal blow to Ed's skull, killing off any chances of him resurrecting.

She plowed the weapon into his head again… and again… and again… and again, feeling the strength she wished she had summoned years ago to fight him. No longer would he harm her or Sophia.

Seated on the bed of Dale's RV, both Palmer sisters sat beside one another, with Jacqui inspecting young Amy's nose.

"I'll tell you what, you are one lucky girl, child. He could've taken it clean off." Jacqui brushed back the hair from the youngster's eyes.

"Well I'd like to pop his nut sack clean off." Andrea muttered, pulling out her gun, given to her by her and Amy's father.

"Andrea don't." warned Amy, holding her rag to her nose.

"Don't what? Seriously Amy, you can't just let him get away with this. A man has no right to put his hands on a woman, let alone a teenage girl…"

"He didn't do it on purpose, it was an accident."

Andrea scoffed, clicking the safety off her gun. "Yeah yeah, I've heard this one. It goes from oh I'm sorry I'm a few minutes late to oh I'm sorry I won't hit you again…"

"He's not like Ed." Amy whispered a bit too loud, for the passing by survivors to catch onto.

"You don't know what you're talking about!"

The RV door flying open ended the girls' heated argument, revealing Dale, hat shielding his eyes. "Girls! That's enough!"

Andrea quickly pointed a finger at Amy, trying to get her side across. "You think I started this with her?"

"It doesn't matter who started it. Stop it! This is not the time for your petty disputes." Dale removed his hat from his thin, grey hair.

Letting a scoff, Andrea clicked the safety back onto her gun and Amy looked up at her from her seated position on the bed, somewhat eyeballing her.

"Now come on. They're about to do the service for the fallen ones." he looked between the African-American woman and the two sisters.

Daryl's POV

"The sun's bout to go down and it'll be getting dark sooner or later. It's a damn shame it took us this long to decide what to do with Jim and where we'd be headin' off to.

After Rick announced to the whole group that we're goin' to that CDC for a cure, I don't know, some horsehit bout savin' Jim and all, Morales jumps up talkin' bout he and his family ain't comin cause they need to be with their people.

I mean, it's dumb to go out there in a small group, but it makes since, havin' kin close to you in this world and all. My heart's still stuck here where Merle's runnin round in, hopefully alive and well. I watch the women hug each and every one of them goodbye, little Carl and Sophia huggin' Louis and Eliza goodbye, and before we know it, we hit the road, on the way to hope.

Before hoppin' in my truck, I locked eyes with Amy for the first time after I damn near broke that poor girl's nose. I looked away for a few seconds, before meeting her baby blue eyes once again and slowly mouthing, "I'm sorry" and proceeded to strap myself in the seatbelt, not even looking back at her.

By dawn we've reached the CDC, already one person short: Jim. Poor bastard opted out to be with his kin.

My best guess, he's out munchin' on a deer by now.

With the number of walkers around us and all the commotion bein' made, we blasted our way up til we got to the door, me and T-Dog bangin' til our fists practically bled, Rick near hysterics while Shane pulled him away.

I was sure we were fucked, until the door in front of us opened up, and a big burst of light engulfed each and every one of us. This was the one moment in my life where praying got me what I needed most; and I'll remember it just might be my last."

_**Reviews please, cause I'd like to know how that went compared to last time. I haven't seen a single fic where it explores Ed's relationship with Sophia; even though he wasn't much of a father figure to her, I think she still had hope that he would do better. I wanted it to be like she was scared of him, but at the same time she cared for her father.**_


	3. You're Not Alone

The group cautiously approached the bright light before them, scattering around like ants with their weapons raised and hands on the triggers. There on a large sign read in front "CDC".

"Hello?" shouted Rick, carefully inspecting the room for anything dangerous .

"Hello?" he shouted once again into thin air.

The familiar sound of a gun cocking filled everyone's ears and had them react quick enough, ready to defend one another.

A tall and thick man, blonde hair ruffled as if he literally just rolled out of bed, held a rifle to the group. "Anybody infected?" he asked cautiously, keeping his gun raised.

Rick somewhat lowered his pistol, to show he wasn't a potential threat. "One of our group was. He didn't make it."

The man silently nodded, seemingly satisfied with the answer he received. He lowered his weapon as well, taking a few tense steps towards the group.

"Why are you here? What do you want?" he not-so-politely asked.

"A chance."

"That's asking an awful lot these days."

"I know."

The man now lowered his rifle to his side, studying the silent pleas the other survivors gave him. Carol wrapped her arms around Sophia, Glenn, T-Dog, and Daryl surrendered fast enough, and Andrea and Amy held each other.

"You all submit to a blood test. That's the price of submission." Instructed the man.

"We can do that." Retorted Rick.

"You got stuff you want to bring in, you do it now." The older blonde man pointed out at the door. "Otherwise that door never opens again."

In a quick instant, many of the Atlanta survivors, rushed back out into the darkness where Dale's RV sat, grabbed their valuables, and rushed back into the building.

They all could only look as the thick metal slid down from above, sealing them away from the danger.

"Thank you." Rick walked alongside the blonde man who guided the group deeper into the building. "Rick Grimes."

"Doctor Edwin Jenner."

X

X

X

Andrea was carelessly slumped over in her seat, impatiently waiting as Dr. Jenner not-so-gently stuck a needle into the thickest vein in her arm.

"What's the point?" asked the college grad crossing an arm over her aching stomach. "If we were infected, we'd all be running a fever."

"I've already broken every rule in the book letting you in here. Let me at least be thorough." Jenner shot.

Jenner gingerly pulled the needle from Andrea's arm. "All done."

Seated a few rows up, Amy had her feet propped up on the seat in front of her, while her elbow was lazily propped on her knee. Below her were Lori, Carol, Carl, and Sophia; both the pre-teens sitting by one another of course. The remaining group members were scattered throughout the room.

"Hey Sophia, I'll give you the other half of my Snickers if you get your blood taken first." Dared Carl.

The twelve year-old shook her head, her blonde tresses bouncing on her shoulders. "No way! You're the boy, you be the brave one. I'm going after you."

"Ladies first."

"I'm not even thirteen; I'm still a kid so, pretty far from a lady. You can go right ahead." She sassily retorted.

"Hey!" Amy yelled making the youngsters turn back to her, eyes as wide as dinner plates. "Sophia, if Carl doesn't want to get his blood taken first, then he shouldn't have to," she returned to twirling her bleach blonde hair around her finger. "Besides, little girls who wear pink and purple don't like needles." She joked.

"Hey!" Carl shot back in his defense, looking around the room in embarrassment, even catching his mother and Carol laughing. "They're Polo shirts, and they were on sale!"

"But they're still pink and purple."

Throwing his hands up, Carl gave up, "Mom! You're the one who brought them! Back me up here!"

"Well Carl, you are the one who begged me to buy them. I mean, weren't all your friends wearing them first?" Lori shrugged.

Everybody around the pair of youngsters laughed, sharing a few minutes of happiness despite all that occurred around them. Even Shane, as much of a buzz kill he could be, let out a howl of laughter.

Dr. Jenner finished up on Andrea, immediately sticking a band-aid on the prick made on her vein, motioning for the next survivor to step up. She made her way over to her sister, shaking her head with a smirk stretched across her face. "You are so mean!" Andrea slapped her little sister on the thigh, making her jump.

Amy playfully stuck her tongue out at her sister, snickering some more when she happened to look over to her right, expecting for her eyes to land on Dale.

Oh they did all right, only _he _was leaning against the wall beside Dale. _He_ was the first person her eyes landed on. Her smile somewhat faded when blue eyes both locked onto one another; not because she was mad at him. If anything, the least she had to do was thank him for saving her.

Before she could even raise her hand to wave, he had bolted from his position as if it was on fire, and line jumped T-Dog to get his blood drawn, but not to be rude. He wasn't trying to be an ass intentionally; he just seethed with guilt every time she even looked at him.

And on top of that, Daryl wasn't exactly the most approachable person.

As he was getting his blood drawn from Jenner, he'd try to peer over his shoulder every now and then, only for her icy glare to pierce him.

The redneck shot up once his band aid was applied, and then grew light headed unexpectedly. He'd most likely collapsed had Jacqui not been there to support him.

"You alright?" asked Jenner sincerely concerned for the young man's health.

Daryl, being the tough guy, brushed it off despite his sore stomach screaming for what it desperately needed. "Yeah, I'm good."

Jacqui gently patted him on the back, only earning a bit of a cold shoulder when Daryl pulled away from her. "He hasn't eaten in days. None of us have."

X

X

X

After taking blood samples and welcoming the guests into their newest haven, Dr. Jenner politely set them up with a nice and relaxing dinner, at a long table, with numerous bottles of wine. Water for the kids.

For the survivors tonight, it was a good, hot cooked meal, complete with clean eating utensils and plates. Wine was passed around, from glass to glass and there was just more than enough food to go around.

A laughing Dale carefully poured a glass for Lori, whose patient hand sat out to grab her glass. "You know, in Italy, children have a little bit of wine with dinner. And in France!" he pointed at the brunette boy, who shot a mischievous smirk.

Lori placed a hand over her son's glass. "Yeah, and when Carl is in Italy or France, he can have some then."

"What's a little gonna do? C'mon." Rick said, earning the many laughs and snickers from the entire table.

Dale handed off a newly poured glass to Carl. "Here you go lad." Everyone leaned forward in their seats once the alcohol touched the boy's lips.

"EWW!" he shrieked, his face grimaced in disgust before he shook his head to rid of the foul taste.

Rick snickered at his only child, eyes wandering until they finally reached Dr. Jenner, who nonchalantly looked around the table, like a kid out of place at a party. Even Amy had caught on, making her smile drop for a moment.

The group's laughter and conversations died down when the clinking of a fork on a glass rang throughout the room, Rick standing at the end of the table. "I couldn't help but notice how we haven't properly thanked our host for welcoming us here." He raised his glass to Jenner, earning a few claps and cheers for the doctor.

Gulping down her water, Amy just couldn't shake the uneasy feeling she had whenever she looked at Jenner, catching onto his blank and gloomy expressions; for someone who has survived this long, he didn't seem too happy to be here.

"And finally, I would also like to celebrate another special occasion for a lovely young lady here tonight: Amy." Rick pointed his glass at the college girl, still zoned out form her own thoughts, jerking up when she heard her name being called.

"What?" she looked around at everyone's gaze stuck on her. "What are we talking about again?"

Andrea stood from her seat across the table, slowly walking over to her younger sibling with a small box in her hand. "Come on. How could you forget your own birthday you dumb blonde?" the older Palmer girl joked, placing the box in front of Amy.

Sophia happily leaned forward in her seat, gripping her glass of water with both hands. "We should sing to her, like we always did at my birthday parties." The young girl turned to her mother, then back to Amy.

"That's a good idea honey." Carol sweetly said.

On the other end of the table, T-Dog and Glenn stood up from their seats. "Come on ya'll, let's do it then." T-Dog grabbed his wine glass, raising it above his head. Even Daryl joined in on the birthday song.

"_Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Amy. Happy birthday to you."_ The group ended their song with claps and cheers, making Amy laugh, having to cover her face with her hand. She took the box into her hand, lifting the top cover off to reveal a beautiful mermaid necklace, the tail looped into an "O" shape where the emerald birthstone was embedded in the middle.

"Oh my God. Andrea, this is beautiful." She looked up at her sister, tears welling up in her eyes. Andrea took the necklace from her sister, taking Amy's silky blonde tresses into her hands, as she worked to get the necklace on.

This was one of the few times Amy could actually recall having her sister be here, in the same room, for her birthday.

The moment became magical, helping her relive those childhood moments she could only fantasize to get back. All was going good and well until Shane, of course, opened his big mouth, rambling to Jenner about the walkers, the infection, and a cure. The result was all the laughter dying down and Jenner giving his honest opinion about the situation: all hope may be lost.

"Dude… you are such a buzz kill man. It's Amy's birthday; we're all supposed to be happy." Muttered Glenn to Shane.

"Well, the truth hurts man. It's all in the aspects of life." Shane crossed his fingers, elbows propped on the table, just angrily eyeing the Korean pizza boy.

Amy rammed a forkful of salad into her mouth, sitting back into her chair with her arms crossed. She pushed her chair back loudly enough to get everybody's attention.

"Thanks." She sarcastically retorted at Shane, throwing down her napkin and stomping away, even past Andrea who tried to offer a hug.

X

X

X

A newly bathed yet drunk Rick walked down the hallway, walking right past an equally washed up Dale, wrapped tightly in a white robe. Nodding to one another, the men parted ways to enjoy their first night of safety and tranquility minus the walkers, Dale gunning for his room until the faint sounds of retching ripped through the bathroom.

There hunched over a toilet was Amy, emptying the newly digested alcohol along with the remaining contents of her stomach into the porcelain. She'd catch her breath for a few seconds, until more of her dinner came pouring out of her throat. "Ok. Ok. Let it all out." Dale, having come into the bathroom, carefully instructed, kneeling down by the woman as he gingerly pulled her damp hair back.

Spitting out the taste of bile mixed with steak and veggies, Amy weakly pushed herself away from the toilet and against the wall, wiping away the vomit around her mouth with toilet paper, before letting out a bit of a sob. Dale crawled over to her, sitting himself against the wall.

"Trying to relive the great freshmen fifteen?" joked the older man, earning a snicker from Amy.

"No, more like trying to drown it all in booze."

"Drown what away?" Dale furrowed his brows in confusion. "What are you rambling about Amy? I think you've had about enough…" he watched as she lowered her head into her lap, running her fingers through her damp hair as she fought back tears, sniffling.

"Don't you understand, Dale. It's over; there's no point to any of this. Waking up everyday, watching everything we all know and love die, knowing we're only closer to our end."

"No no, sweetheart, that's not all true. Forget what Shane and Jenner said! I mean…"

"It's not just what they said. Didn't you see the look on Jenner's face?" Amy turned, looking deep into the eyes of her elder, letting the fresh tears cascade down her cheeks. "He knows it's all over and I'm not gonna lie to you Dale, I feel the same way too. Not just now, but for a long time."

"English, please? Just spit it out, Amy. What are you saying?"

Chewing her lip, the blonde pushed out the painful truth she kept bottled within her for a long time. "What I'm saying is, that night at the camp, when that walker almost killed me, I wish it had done it so I could be taken out of this hell. I wish I never survived."

Dale's heart fell, hearing such a strong girl like herself even say that. He looked away for a minute to think hard and good about what needed to be said.

"I don't ever want to ever hear you say that; not even talk about it to anyone else. You were given the opportunity to live, go on to wake up everyday to the blessing and luxuries of being alive," Amy sniffed, wiping under her eyes.

"You are surrounded by people who care for you and your well being. You are all Andrea has left; with you gone, she'd be lost and broken. Now look Amy, I can't promise you this, you may feel like you have no reason to live, but I guarantee you, something good will come out of this if you choose life over death."

"Like what?"

"I don't know. It's for you to find out for yourself," the old man picked himself off the floor, throwing his towel over his shoulder. "Even when all hope is lost, living through those dark moments in life is what gets us to the light. You just have to find your light first, Amy."

Turning away from her, Dale excited the bathroom, only to turn back to the youngster. "You have a good night. Think real hard about what I said." And with that, he turned back and walked out.

No lie, the man was wise with words. For a brief moment, the thought sunk into Amy, making her actually think about tomorrow and the future. Grabbing her poorly thrown towel from the floor, she threw it aside, revealing a half-empty bottle of wine leftover from dinner. She pondered in her thoughts as she unscrewed the cap, and pressed the bottle to her lips, taking a heavy swig.

Meanwhile, the slightly buzzed Dixon brother lay on his back in his bedroom, taking his occasional sips from his respective bottle of wine and puffs from his cigarette. Donning a white Tap Out muscle shirt with grey sweat pants, he truly appreciated the joys of being clean.

Turning his head to the dresser, there by the bottle sat an ashtray. Although he could say he was actually happy, having been introduced to the luxuries of the CDC, his heart felt heavy and empty, the younger Dixon still longing for his missing brother. "Damn Merle. Where in the godamned hell are you?"

As the redneck snatched the bottle from his dresser, taking a long sip, the younger Palmer sibling stumbled down the hallway, beyond the limit of buzzed, aimlessly wandering down the halls. She knocked back another mouthful of wine as she felt her body grow heavier.

Amy practically fell onto a door, which blocked her off from Andrea, having caught herself on the handle, which refused to budge. "Stupid fucking sister and her stupid fucking rules of privacy." She drunkenly mumbled to herself, looping some hair behind her ear.

Using the wall as something to prop her on her feet, she practically glued her hand to the walls with one hand while the other hand kept a firm grip on her bottle.

Coming up to another door leading to another room, the college student giggled like a child as she reached for the handle; only for the door to fly open, with a more-than-pissed looking Shane stomping away.

"Well excuse the hell out of me officer!" she slurred, taking a few steps back, barely catching herself.

She lifted the bottle once again, only to lower it to her side once Lori rushed out of the room, eyes glossy and clearly distraught. "Lori!" squealed Amy, leaning in to give the shocked woman a hug. "What's going on? You look sad." She had pulled away, indeed catching onto the teary-eyed woman.

"I…. um…. I-I Just had a little spat with Shane, that's all. You sleep good tonight, Amy." She hesitantly pushed out, power walking towards the room she shared with Rick and their son, unsuccessfully trying to cover the sobs that escaped her mouth.

As for Amy, she was too far gone to process what she had just witnessed, her head pretty much swimming in alcohol to catch onto everything. "I will! Believe me, I will!"

Twirling the liquor inside the bottle out of boredom, Daryl was brought out of his trance-like state when the door suddenly flew wide open, revealing the one person he avoided all day. "Amy? What in the blue hell you doin' here?" he quickly put out the lit cigarette on the ashtray.

"Daryl," she drawled out with a serious tone, hand on hip. "I need to talk to you." She demanded more than asked the man. He took a deep breath, rubbing his hand over his face. _"Aw shit, here comes the fire." _

Slamming the door shut, Amy then marched over to the bed, pausing for about ten seconds or so, then proceeded to fall onto the bed, scooping the surprised and confused redneck into a bone crushing hug. "I missed you Daryl! I mean, I feel like I haven't seen you all da… there's like three of you. It's… so….cool!" she squealed, pulling out of the embrace and falling onto the bed on her back, while the younger Dixon brother sat still, mouth agape.

Now Daryl, one thing he understood was women. He'd expected a slap across the face, or maybe even a good cussing out if you even said one wrong word, but not this: Amy, pretty much in his lap, giggling like a little school girl. "Amy… are you drunk?"

Shooting up, the young girl nodded her head a bit too fast, making herself dizzier and more nauseous then before. "I was bad. I found Jenner's secret stash in the lab." She playfully puckered her lips out.

"God almighty damn," Daryl rubbed his temple, frustration becoming evident in his demeanor. He pulled himself off the bed, lazily pacing back and forth as the younger girl followed him with her eyes. "Amy… WHAT IN THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?" he demanded furiously, not even caring who heard him. "You tryna' get me buried already?"

The drunk expression, consisting of carelessness and cluelessness, never left Amy's face. "I-I don't see what the problem is Daryl, I feel- I feel great. Like fifty billion times better!" her voice loose; undoubtedly due to her level of intoxication.

"Son of a bitch! If Andrea or the old man catches you in here, they'll end up killin' me dead like them walkers out there." Daryl walked over to the drunk woman, wrapping a helpful hand around her waist as he slowly lifted her up. "Now come on, we best be getting' you tucked away in your own bed. Would you like that?"

"But I don't want to go to bed. I wanna dance." Slurred Amy, allowing  
>Daryl to pull her body away from the soft bed.<p>

Daryl scoffed out of frustration. Negotiating with a drunk person turned out to be harder than it appeared.

Sighing in defeat, he gently allowed her to fall onto the bed, her smiling at him as if she were happier than a child with a shiny new toy on Christmas.

"Now look here, I ain't gonna be doin' no babbysittin," Daryl grabbed a dry cloth from the nightstand and walked over to the bedroom door, throwing it open. "From the looks of it, you leavin me wit' no choice. I'll be back in five, and you'll be outta here in ten, alright doll?"

Amy blinked twice, before nodding her head rapidly. She only watched as her temporary roommate closed the door quietly, and listened out as he ran down the hall. "…..I'm hot." She randomly blurted out.

"Amy," Daryl threw open the door, closing it again and kept his back turned to the blonde girl. "Now I gotcha a wet rag for that head of yours. It's mighty cold, now I'ma need ya to hold still…"

The redneck found himself at a loss for words, nothing to say, as if someone had taken the words he was about to say and shoved them right back down his throat.

There in front of him was Amy, pink and black plaid sleeping shorts lying on the floor mere inches away, and her black lace panties staring him right in the face. She was currently standing in front of the fan, keeping her shirt lifted to where her stomach was exposed to the cool air. "Jesus." Muttered Daryl, dropping the rag onto the soft carpet.

Amy turned around and looked at him, taking in his speechless expression. "What? I'm hot. It's like a bazillion degrees in here!" she turned her attention back to the fan, following it whenever or wherever it turned.

"_Yeah, that you are. That you are you little…No! Hell no! What am I thinkin'! The girl drunk, her head ain't in the right place."_ The redneck thought to himself, disgusted with his own perverted thoughts.

He remained silent, even when she threw herself on the bed muttering something, now struggling to perform the simple task of taking her shirt off. It wasn't until he saw her bra, did he finally react.

"Amy! You best be puttin' this back on," he lowered himself to where he hovered over her, grabbing onto the end of the long sleeved shirt. "Believe me, it's best for the both of us." He muttered to himself, looking away to avoid her face.

"Huh?"

"Nothin'! Hurry up and put your clothes on…" Poor Daryl, not only was he cut off, but he was put into a compromising position; out of nowhere, Amy yanked him down on top of her and wrapped her arms around his neck.

She smiled slyly at him, "You feel so good being here." She placed a soft kiss on his cheek.

"Amy what the hell! Let go of me!" the redneck lifted himself off of her, fighting to pull away despite her arms being wrapped around his neck.

In the next room, the faint voices of the young adults could be heard through the Grimes' room, Lori hearing every word being said even after she buried her face into her pillow, the warm tears being soaked up. She cried silently to herself just so Carl could sleep.

Just as she was wiping her eyes, the door creaked open, revealing Rick. The father and husband plopped down beside his wife, the alcohol making him feel heavier. Just as he kicked off his boots, he could hear the sniffling coming from Lori's form.

"Shhh… it's ok. We're safe now." He gently stroked her hair, planting a soft kiss on her tear stained cheek. "You don't have to be afraid anymore." Rick protectively wrapped his arms around Lori, completely unaware of her the true reason behind her distress.

The wrestling match between Daryl and Amy finally ended, with a wheezing Daryl propped up on his elbows on the bed while a heavily intoxicated Amy lay in between his legs, having finally defeated the redneck. "Now look, you done had your fun and all, but you best be gettin' out before…"

"I don't want to leave you…" Amy responded by wrapping her arms around Daryl's waist.

"Well daggum, you've been sittin' here dry humpin' me the past five minutes, I see why you wouldn't wanna! This goofy college shit needs to stop cause you pissin' me off…"

"I don't want to leave you alone! It's just, I hate seeing people so sad." Amy looked at him, all teary eyed.

Freezing in his place, Daryl was now at a loss for words, searching for any sincerity in Amy's eyes. _"Where is she goin' wit' this shit?" _he thought to himself.

"Amy, what are you talkin' bout?" Daryl asked, slowly sitting up despite her being on his lap, weigh him down.

"I-I I'm, talking about your brother…. What was his name again?" she chewed her nails out of frustration, knowing the name was on the tip of her tongue. "Mason? Melvin? Morgan?"

"…Merle."

"Oh yeah! Merle, that's right…"

"What's this got to do with him?" Daryl no-so-gently pushed the inebriated young woman off of him.

"It's just that, seeing you lose your brother it reminds me of when I never got to see Andrea. Without them, you feel like a part of you is missing, and you wonder while they're away if they ever care or think about you," she blinked away tears as she looked on at him, wearing only a blank expression. "And when you'll see them again."

"Whenever she couldn't come home for like holidays or gatherings, our parents would always get mad, calling her a disappointment and other crap, so I'd do something stupid to get them all mad at me. My friends and I ditched school to go to the mall… and once again, Andrea couldn't make it for my birthday. Mom and Dad were so pissed… so we shoplifted about five hundred dollars worth of clothes. I never got the Mercedes for my sweet sixteen… but in a way, it was worth it." Amy nodded her her head, looking back at the redneck, who fought inwardly to control his emotions.

They sat in a brief moment of silence, her looking at him, and him staring blankly at the wall. She didn't become satisfied until about three minutes, when Daryl finally began wiping away at tears which tried to fall. "Whatchu' think its funny….tryna make' a grown ass man cry." He muttered, choking back on tears.

"No," Amy softly shook her head, "I just don't want you to be alone. Its ok to talk about it."

"Fine. If you just shut up, getting all emotional and shit, then you can stay here for the night."

Unleashing a big squeal, the blonde happily pounced on the unsuspected young man, tipping over and landing on top of Daryl.

Despite their heart-felt conversation involving the absences of their siblings in their lives, the sense of humor was brought back up into the atmosphere. Daryl began to hesitantly hug her back, when he spotted the very thing he fought to resist: Amy's panty-clad ass popping up from under her shirt.

"Just to lay down some rules… we best be settlin' down if you gonna be here in my bed." He gingerly tugged at the end of her shirt, trying to cover her butt up, making the blonde look at him with skepticism. "It's just that…I'm very much a guy and well… you got little Daryl Jr. here a bit excited." He motioned towards his now rock hard dick, poking from under the sheets.

Amy couldn't control herself; she just couldn't contain her laughter. She let out a soft giggle, finding it rather humorous that she had this effect on him. Deciding she had her birthday fun for the night, she gently pulled herself off of Daryl, falling onto the soft mattress next to Daryl's well-toned body.

The exhausted redneck leaned over the edge of the bed, towering over the intoxicated Amy, and pulled the light switch, engulfing the room into darkness. Turning onto his back, he was rather shocked when he felt Amy's petite frame press into his muscular one, wrapping her arms around him as if he were her knight in shining armor.

Despite the darkness, he made out the shiny metal as her necklace, the very one she received for her birthday that very night. He gently tugged at the chain, carefully holding the little mermaid on the palm of his hand.

"Happy birthday Amy." He muttered to her sleeping figure, soon succumbing to the sleepiness as well.


	4. Can't Fight This Feeling

_**I'd like to apologize to Clarissa8 since I know she reviewed here. Let me know if you like the changes!**_

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

Amy opened her eyes and let out a long, painful groan. She listened to the pounding and had to think for a second before she realized it wasn't coming from the headache she now sported but from the door.

"BREAKFAST! GET IT WHILE IT'S HOT!" shouted Andrea through the other end of the door.

Throwing the blankets off her boiling hot body, she slowly rose up in the bed, blinking away at the sleepiness while she tried to sit up straight.

"_How did I get in here again?" _She thought to herself as she studied the foreign room and its features. She glanced down at the bedside: boots, a large belt, pile of clothes, and a crossbow.

Amy tried to remember what had happened the previous night, how she ended up in this room, why her head was pounding like a jack hammer, and why she couldn't pull herself out of bed. She twisted her body to feel more comfortable.

"Note to self: Never ever ever drink so much again." She muttered to herself, blowing away at the annoying strand of hair which continued to fall in her face. As she wriggled around under the sheets, her breath sat still in her throat as she felt how bare and naked the lower region of her body felt.

Lifting up the covers, she was much rather shocked to find out that she wasn't wearing any pajama bottoms; in fact, she was only in her panties.

_"What happened last night?"_ She thought, rubbing her temple in frustration.

She began to panic. All possibilities were going through her mind: Did I get raped? Did I just take my clothes off and go to sleep? How did I get here? Whose room am I in? Did I really drink that much? When did I go to bed? Who helped me into bed? Where's Andrea and Dale?

As she gingerly rose up from the bed, she was hit full force with a massive wave of naseau, making her shoot up straight instantly. Feeling the bile in the back of her throat, the teenager shot up from the bed, adrenaline pumping through her veins and rushed to the nearest bathroom.

Meanwhile, the remaining Atlanta survivors were very much pleased to awaken to a hot and homemade breakfast with a walker-free environment complete with the luxuries of a five star hotel.

Unleashing a loud groan was Glenn, hands buried in his jet black hair with his pounding head hanging over his plate. Jacqui placed a soothing hand on his shoulder. "It'll be alright, sweetie. Go ahead and drink some water, you hear?" Jacqui sweetly said, helping relieve some of Glenn's pain with a massage.

Seated across from them was Lori, along with Carl sipping on his orange juice. In the neighboring seats sat Carol and Sophia, seated in front of eggs, bacon, toast, oatmeal, and juice. Over by the stove was T-Dog, scrambling up some eggs as Dale and Andrea came into the dining hall, a hung over Rick being the first one to appear.

"Are you hung over? Mom said you'd be." questioned Carl, a small smirk sat on the corner of his mouth.

Lori turned to her young son, a mischievious smirk sat on the corner of her mouth.

"Mom is right." Rick chirped, glad to take his seat to stop his head from spinning and his guts from being puked out.

T-Dog emerged from behind the counter, holding a steaming hot skillet away from his body, towards the table. "Eggs, powdered, but I do em' good. Bet you can't tell. Protein helps the hangover." The muscular African-American slowly scooped a good serving of eggs onto Glenn's plate, only to get more groaning as a response and a "thank you" from Jacqui.

"Where'd all this come from?" asked Rick, holding a small bottle of aspirin in his hands.

"Jenner." Lori replied back, taking the pills from her husband's grasp.

"Can you help me please?" Rick pointed at the pills.

"He thought we could use em'. Some of us at least." the brunette woman motioned towards the hung over Korean, still groaning from the pounding head ache.

"Don't ever ever ever let me drink again." Moaned the pizza boy.

"Hey." Daryl sighed, eyes still heavy from sleep. He walked into the dining hall, hunting for a beverage. He was pleased to find a full gallon of orange juice, impatiently tearing off the top.

At the first instinct, he raised the jug to his dry lips, but thought about his actions before he could do so when he turned half way to catch some of the stares the group gave him.

He was no longer in his own house; he had to respect the others and make sure his manners were reasonable. Merle was the one to thank for his poor manners. So like a descent person, he pulled two glasses out and filled them both with a beverage; one with orange juice and the other with water. He then got a couple of aspirin from the bottle.

"My bad." he muttered, walking past them all and back towards the rooms.

As the group settled into their breakfast, Amy found herself stuck by the toilet, the white porcelain acting as her closest companion since she wouldn't be leaving soon; with the way her stomach did all the flips and turns, the poor girl would most likely end up with alcohol poisioning.

She mentally cursed at herself when she felt more of the rejected alcohol pour out of her throat and into the porcelain. Despite the haze she was in, she recalled feeling caloused flesh fingers running through her silky hair, somewhat tugging at it.

"Yep. Go on little Palmer, just get it all out." instructed the redneck, resting on his knees to help the younger girl. Amy finally got the relief she was waiting on, thankful that her stomach was now emptied.

Daryl could feel the heat rolling off her, even from over a foot away. Frowning, he gently sat her down in front of the toilet, reaching without thinking and pressed the back of his hand to her forehead. She blinked, watching him placidly.

"Daggum girl... ya burnin' up." Daryl pulled his hand away to properly inspect the teenager. "Ya alright?"

Amy blinked at him a couple of times. She shook her head.

He handed off the glass of water to her along with a pair of aspirin. "Here."

Amy took the pills and then chugged the water, only getting a few breaths in before she finished. "Don't chug it so fast. All ya gonna do is chuck it up all over again." he warned, taking a sip of his orange juice. The pair sat in silence for the longest, enough time for Daryl to finish his juice.

"I feel like crap." muttered the teen, running a hand through her hair.

"Ya look like crap."

Amy squinted her baby blue eyes at him, grimacing at the pain shooting through her body. "Wow thanks." she remarked sarcastically, pulling her knees to her chest. "You Dixons sure know how to charm a girl."

"What can I say? My brother and I know how to sweep them ladies off their feet." he snickered.

Amy shot the redneck a skeptical look. "Merle? Your brother Merle Dixon? I'll never understand how he gets a woman nor do I want to know."

"Believe me, the way some of them girls be lookin', they'd take any waggin' dick they can find."

"Really? I understand you, but...Merle," she drawled out like he was the walking plague. "He's mean, he's a pig, he's repulsive, and... he's old!" she said much too loud.

"So whatchu tryna say little Palmer? You find me attractive now?"

"No! No... I never even said that!" her cheeks were the deepest shde of red, "You're just trying to put words in my mouth!"

"C'mon now. I'm just kiddin around witcha." he playfully rubbed her head, earning a painful groan in the process. "Sorry. Here, get up. Wait here for me." He held out a hand to her, which she slowly took.

He left for only a few short minutes, and returend with a fresh pile of clothes and a towel for the young girl. "I'll be waitin' on ya when ya' get finished, k?"

"Ok." she barely sqeauked, looking down at her perfectly painted red toes nails. "Hey Daryl?" she said, catching him before he could leave the bathroom. He looked at her, waiting for her repsonse. "Why are you being so nice to me?" she innocently asked, holding her towel with a light grip.

"Cause... ya lettin me be." he retorted, gently closing the door so he could allow her to get ready.

Not exactly the answer she wanted but, it was good enough. Before she could prepare for her morning shower, she had to get her racing heart in control.

_"Why do I feel like this?"_ she thought to herself, still standing half naked in her place. As much as she never thought she would admit it, Daryl Dixon was suddenly looking real cute to her now.

Once she came out the bathroom in only a matter of minutes, she felt somewhat refurnished from the warm water. Today, she donned a pink Love Pink hoodie complete with black sweatpants and white flip flops and her long blonde hair tied up in a messy bun. Leaning against the wall, Daryl joined her, walking alongside her, but not before handing her a cold rag.

"Thanks." she groaned, placing it on her head.

"Don't mention it little Palmer."

"Morning Shane." Amy sweetly greeted him as she walked past him with the rag to her head. Daryl gave the officer a nod.

"Morning Amy, Daryl."

Though she sported a massive hangover, the ever-so-observant Amy didn't fail to notcie the scratch marks on Shane's neck.

Now if anyone in the group were to tell another about Amy and Shane, they'd tell you that they were on good terms, sometimes a bit arguementive but Shane was always sure to remind her who the proper authority figure was.

Amy was more of a peace maker, a kid with a good heart, but she was stubborn too. Not to mention very feisty when angered, especially when she engaged in those "teenage rebellion" moments.

Walking into the dining hall, the younger Palmer sister was shocked to find her big sister, green orbs fized on her in a strict way. Luckily for Andrea, she was sure enough to leave a seat vacant right in between her and Dale, just for her little sister.

"_Thanks for saving me a good seat Dale." _Amy thought to herself as she slowly walked over to her seat.

Stumbling somewhat, she avoided her elder sister's gaze until she sat right by her, Andrea's face delivering a "You better believe we're going to talk later" demeanor.

As they carried on with breakfast, Amy would every now and then steal a glance Daryl, and couldn't help but notice how adorable he looked whilst he polished off a second pancake from his stack. He may have been a zombie slaying bad ass, but he proved to be nicer than he let on. Maybe Daryl wasn't so bad... all he needed was for someone to give him the benefit of a doubt.

"How about some more sausage for the pretty young lady?" T-Dog joked as he reached for a plate of breakfast food.

"No thanks, T. I'm sticking to eggs and water." Answered Amy, rubbing her sore head.

"Yeah, she's hung over too." mocked Sophia, finishing up her juice.

"Sophia, that wasn't very nice." Carol shot at her, but not as harsh as Lori, the no-nonsense mother would do to Carl.

"Sorry Amy." Apologized the 12-year-old girl, somewhat lowering her head.

Amy giggled a bit, "It's alright squirt. You are right about that."

T-Dog leaned over in his seat, giving Amy a hearty serving of sausage. "Mmm mmm! Now here we go; some good, spicy, and tender pork sausage. Careful when you bite into, cause them juices tend to squirt out." He joked, watching her expression change dramatically.

"Is this your way of helping get rid of the leftover wine?" Amy asked.

"Did it help?" asked Dale, smiling.

"Yep! And I'll try to remember that while I'm puking my guts out." Amy pushed her chair out, standing up and jogging for the bathroom.

Andrea shook her head in annoyance at her sibling. Didn't Amy know that she was supposed to be better than her?

"She's so dead when I get a hold of her." muttered Andrea.

XXX

Amy was experiencing a serious case of anticipation. There had been a Daryl Dixon lull, like he was building up to something bigger. It was enough to make her run for the hills. She would run if the view wasn't so sweet. In the past two days the group stayed in the CDC, Daryl would hang around the CDC in his muscle shirts and she would covertly examine (innocently of course) his muscualr arms.

Watching him walk around shirt less and even work out in the CDC's gym had her going; in fact, it was a major turn on. She'd have to leave the room on several occasions to avoid having her uncomfortable state detected.

As of now her current plan, avoid and deflect was working to a small degree and she would stick with that method. But there'd come a time where she'd need a Plan B. A plan for when her self-control was minimal and she needed intervention.

She couldn't help it, how she was feeling about this man who barely cared for her when he first came to camp. Amy was just another teenge girl with a massive crush on a grown man. At some points, she would begin to have thoughts, and those thoughts would only lead to curiosity...

Daryl Dixon was beginning to have an effect on little Amy Palmer.

She needed to get away from these Daryl-induced thoughts before she lost all her control and self-respect.

She was brought out of her day dreams once and for good today after she burnt her arm on the hot stove, with Carl and Sophia in the kitchen aiding her in their newest cooking lesson.

"Look! It's getting brown! I think it's ready!" Sophia chirped, so full of excitement.

"Alright then, get the tongs and pull it out squirt!" Amy instructed pointing at the food floating in the grease.

"No fair! I'm getting the next one out!" a frustrated Carl pouted.

Coming full view into the kitchen, Daryl was rather surprised to find Amy, sleeves on her hoodie pushed up her arms and a few loose strands of hair falling into her face, standing over a steaming wok pan.

Carefully holding an egg roll with a pair of tongs was little Sophia, holding it away so she was careful not to scorch herself.

And finally, the deputy's son Carl Grimes, was holding a plate of egg rolls, waiting for Sophia to give him the next one.

Just as she set another egg roll on the plate, Carl just so happened to glance up and catch sight of the redneck entering the dining hall's kitchen. "Hey Daryl!" he happily shouted, gently placing the tongs aside before he ran over to him.

"_Shit! Bail!" _the redneck thought, turning back to the hall debating on whether or not he just leave. But then again, it would crush poor little Carl's heart.

The 24-year-old man froze in his place once he felt the pre-teen boy engulf him into an embrace, giving him a few pats on the back since he felt awkward enough showing any signs of affection.

As for Sophia, she remained in her place beside Amy, much too frightened to approach Daryl, her terrified eyes warily inspecting him. It was obvious to tell she had a serious fear of men, thanks to her father, since she only came around the camp's women and children. Of all the things on her list of fears, consisting of walkers, bees, the dark, her father, rats, and clowns, Daryl kept his place as number two on her list.

"Hey Daryl! Check it out, Amy's teaching us how to make egg rolls." Carl pointed to the plate for Daryl to see.

"Oh, that's good." He answered, not really to sure how to respond.

"You didn't even look good enough Dixon." Amy snapped at him, wiping her greasy fingers on her sweat pants.

Rolling his eyes, the annoyed redneck stomped over towards the trio, getting a better view of the crispy rolls floating in the bubbling, hot grease.

Daryl took a seat on a stool close by Amy, looking at the trio's latest creation. "Huh, not bad. Now, we'd really be in business if Amy here could hook us up wit' some chitlins."

"Ew!" Sophia and Carl stood by the countertop and wrinkled their noses in disgust. "Gross!"

The redneck slammed his hand on the counter top repeatedly. "Aw come on now! No not ew. Yum! You'd get a lil flavor if you add some hot sauce."

"No, their right, Daryl. Ew! Seriously, that crap smells like a dead body." Amy shook her head in disgust.

"Well, then ya'll just don't know how to eat right." Daryl asked.

Amy shrugged her shoulders. "Yeah, squirrels are _so_ much better than a home cooked meal. Especially if they're still kicking and screaming when you bite into them."

Carl gently placed the plate on the counter top, and raced to the fridge for a drink. "Ok, you guys are sick. I think I'll have to stay away from food for a while."

"Aw, poor baby," Amy playfully puckered her soft lips, walking over to the fridge by Carl, bending down to place the milk back in its proper place. "We making you sick over here?"

"Ha ha. Very funny Amy." Carl rolled his eyes, sipping out of his water bottle.

While Sophia went on about the boys and how gross they Daryl and Carl argued, the younger Palmer inwardly fought to control her speeding heart and her quickend breathing brought on by her latest crush.

Sophia had finally placed a new set of egg rolls into the grease, when the last one slipped and made a big dunk into the grease, splashing some up in the air and onto the girl's arm, delivering a painful sting.

"OW!" she cried out in pain, jerking her arm away and bumping into the counter, knocking a plate over in the process.

Daryl, snapped out of his intoxicated gaze and leaped up, quick but careful to guide the crying girl to the fridge where a shocked Carl and an equally frightened Amy stood.

"Get me some butter Carl, she needs it on that burn." Daryl instructed.

"No she needs ice Daryl." Amy debated, as she threw open the freezer and grabbed a handful of ice cubes.

"Ice don't do shi-"

"Ok one, watch your mouth and two butter just makes it sting."

"Um guys…" Carl tugged at both their clothing.

"What are you, a fucking doctor? That what you went to school for?"

"First of all, it's a nurse and no and second of all, what do you know about first aid?"

"Um guys… this really wouldn't be the time for…" Carl found it rather difficult to pull the bickering young adults away.

"Settle down young'un! Now look here, you askin' a man who been lost in the woods for _nine days_ with an ankle twisted up like a damn pretzel! Now if there's anything I know beside medical attention, that is survival!"

"Um guys…I think what Carl's trying to say is the wok is on fire!" Sophia pointed toward the pan which was very much so set ablaze.

The arguing pair turned around, eyes big as dinner plates and hearts pounding by the second at the catastrophe in front of them. Daryl damn near had a heart attack, Amy was in shock, and the kids quietly backed up behind their well-trusted elders to kindly let them handle the situation.

"GET BACK!" Daryl lunged for the dishcloth dangling right below the fire, snatching it up before it could be swallowed in the flames.

He whipped at the growing fire, again and again and again, only for it to rise higher at every strike.

Horrified, he just tossed the useless rag down by his foot and grabbed the wok by its handle, and dropped the wok in the sink, then flipped on the faucet which slowly killed the fire.

Exhausted, he backed up into the cabinet, slowly sliding down until he sat on his rear end. He looked over towards Amy, Carl, and Sophia who still wore their worried expressions.

The redneck simply smirked. "What did I say? Huh? Survival."

Tragically, his moment of triumph died down with his enthusiasm when up above their heads, the fire alarm rang out making him jump up from his position.

"That doesn't sound good." Sophia clutched onto Amy very tight.

And indeed, it wasn't good. Without warning, the sprinklers above their heads sensed the smoke and immediately kicked into high gear, dousing the four below it. Even worse, the screams of the other survivors, including Jenner could be heard throughout the entire building.

XXX

Fans had been set up in every corner to clear the entire kitchen of smoke that now filled the room and the survivors' lungs. On one plate sat the well-done and crispy egg rolls ready to be eaten while the charcoal-colored egg rolls sat on another plate ready to be tossed out.

By now, everybody had a new change of clothes on. Having spent about an hour or so, all the water on the floors and all had been towel dried. Luckily, the sprinklers hadn't been set up in the bedrooms.

The only ones remaining in the kitchen were Lori, Rick, Shane, Jenner, Amy, and Daryl.

"Sorry about the mess doc. I wasn't trying to burn the place down." Amy apologized genuinely, though she found it more humorous than scary.

"It'll be alright. Thankfully, all the equipment in the lab is waterproof and the ventilation kicks in at a quickened pace. I should've disabled those sprinklers."

"Yep, I think the three of you best be stickin' to the microwavable shit from now on." Daryl muttered, toweling off his damp hair.

"If anyone needs me, I'll be in my room." Said Jenner, before he retreated to his room down the hall.

"You know, that sounds just about right for us." Said Lori, placing a gentle hand on Rick's back and ushering him towards the bedroom.

"Yeah, I think you little troublemakers had your fun for the day." Said Rick looking back at Amy. He disappeared down the hall with his wife.

"Guess all women ain't meant for the kitchen." Muttered Shane, shaking his head laughing before he too retreated to the bedroom.

Amy scoffed, a smirk sat on her lips. "So mean Shane. So so mean!"

Daryl playfully rubbed her hair, making the teenage girl push away at his hnands. "You ain't nothin' but trouble little Palmer."


	5. Life Over Death

Amy's POV:  From the second I laid myself to sleep last night to the first eye I blinked this morning, I could never figure out as to why my mind was in the position it was in.

Why two acts of kindness have changed the way I feel about Daryl Dixon, the rogue survivor who cared nothing for me or anyone else.

To some he may be the lone wolf of the pack, the mystery that none of us seem to have the answer to. But to me, he's just a misunderstood soul.

He's different from Merle, but in a good way. He has a good heart, but he keeps it silent in order to keep up his defense mechanism.

Throughout the day, my usual routine consists of helping Lori, Carol, and Andrea watch the children and doing the camp's laundry. I've finally figured that Carl now harbors a harmless crush on me, but is much too modest to say anything. Just me speaking to him sends the brightest blush of red across his face, making him take refuge by burying his face into his hands.

I love that kid and Sophia too.

Whilst I sit with some of the adults of the encampment in the dining hall along with Carl and Sophia, I feel the compelling need to be close to Daryl, my crossbow-wielding guardian angel.

Today, I've taken my usual spot by Andrea with Jacqui seated at our same table, half way listening to the friendly gossip they engaged in.

Dale was seated at his own individual table, reading a book.

With the air condition having died on us unexpectedly, the spaced out dining hall was the best option for air.

This will be the day I talk to him…

Even though I'm still rather creeped out by the little presentation Jenner showed us earlier, something about test subject nineteen, I just brushed it off like it was never even talked about.

I jumped up from my seat where my half-eaten bagel sat, gently pushing in my chair.

End of Amy's POV

"Amy, you already heading in? It's pretty early." Dale questioned me, placing his coffee mug on his coaster.

"Um no. I just wanted to see if the guys got the AC going yet. I feel so gross." she tugged at her shirt collar, trying to get a refreshing gush of air down it.

"A little sweat wouldn't kill you skipper." Joked Andrea, unscrewing her cap of unopened water.

"So we're supposed to sit here and be toasted to a crisp. I'm not gonna stand for it."

"Amy, I think it would be best if you just stay out of the way." Warned Dale, taking his attention off his book and acting like the grandfather-ly figure.

"Yes hun, let them do their job." Lori warned, giving the youngster a gentle warning.

"Well I feel bad for leaving them down there by themselves." Amy turned away, giving the brunette woman and the grey haired patriarch an assuring nod, despite Andrea's green orbs burning into her. "I'll be ok. I'll yell out if anything goes wrong."

And with that, the eighteen year old trekked down the stairs, the bright lights hovered above her. Once she made it to the basement's entrance, she heard sounds of soft voices echoing in the basement signaling that they were still there.

Amy felt the curiosity flood into her chest once she entered the well lit room, holding oxygen in her lungs.

She then gently placed her foot out, taking the first step; mentally arguing as to if she should continue the trek through the room. Ok, that wasn't so bad.

Then the second…. And the third. The teen had barely taken five steps when she felt a pair of rough hands on her shoulders, earning the person an ear piercing scream and a fist to the jaw.

"Son of a bitch!" came a painfully frustrated Southern accent, causing Amy to cover her mouth with her hands, guilt sketched across her face. She tripped over her own two feet, with her backside hitting the floor much too hard.

Oops! Now she'd have an apology to give him.

"Oh my God! Daryl, I'm so sorry I never saw you!" she choked out, feeling even worse now that he wiped the blood from his mouth.

"Damn kiddo," he gruffly muttered, lowering himself to the teenage girl's level so he could help her up. "Up in here hollerin' and shit like you done seen the damn Candyman. Settle down before you get us all worked up."

She was unable to shoot back in her defense, because she was much too shocked in the fact that his hands were ill placed on her sides. Even after he let go, she still felt his fingers sitting on her skin.

"Whatchu' doin' down here anyway lil' girl?" he angrily asked, crossing his arms while he impatiently waited for an answer.

"I'm sorry… I thought… I…" she stuttered out, the words crammed down her throat.

"Go on now, I ain't got til Christmas." Daryl shot out a bit harsh.

_Click. Click. Click. _The sound of the lights unexpectedly shutting off, consumed the entire building into darkness, killing the bright lights and then replacing them with dim ones.

"_Emergency lighting on." _said VI properly through the intercom.

"What the hell?" asked Amy, looking up at the ceiling.

"Come on now." He instructed, taking her small hand into his much larger one. They went deeper and deeper into the gloomy basement until they came across Rick and Shane.

""Hey! Did you guys kill the lights?" questioned Glenn, running past the building's generators and around Daryl and Amy.

"Naw, it just went off." Shane retorted deeply, inspecting the generator in front of him.

"Anything?" Rick looked back at Glenn, T-Dog racing around the corner not too far behind.

"Yeah. Lot of dead generators and more _empty _fuel drums than I can count." Said T-Dog in a much more aggressive tone.

As for Amy, feeling like the scared kid she was, she tightened her grip around Daryl's side, earning a skeptical look from the redneck.

"We heard screams." T-Dog said, breathing heavily while he tightened his grip on his flashlight. "Ya'll a'ight?"

"Yeah. Sorry." She mumbled out, still clutching onto Daryl.

"You shoulda never wandered off by yourself. You ain't never heard of the buddy system before?" questioned Daryl, looking down at the frightened youngster.

Amy shook her head. "Seriously? That only applies to little kids."

"This ain't the proper time for a debate ya'll. We got to go. Now." Rick shot with a serious tone, jogging over to the exit, Shane and Glenn not too far behind. "C'mon!" he ordered the remaining trio, all of them racing out of the basement to find the others.

"Rick!" yelled out Lori from above, hanging over the railing with Carl by her side. With the remaining survivors all grouped together behind them, Jenner took the lead.

"Jenner, what the hells goin' on?" Rick roughly questioned, wrapping his arms around his wife.

"Amy!" Andrea called out to her sibling, embracing her in a deep hug.

"The building's shutting down. It shouldn't be long now." the doctor instructed leading the group back into the lab.

"Shutting down? How can a building do anything?" asked Daryl.

"You'd be amazed." Jenner retorted.

Amy's POV

We thought we were all safe, but we were wrong. We were horribly wrong. The danger beyond these walls is nothing compared to the ordeal we are being forced overcome.

"It was the French." Jenner said out of the blue, earning his round of skeptical looks.

"What?" Andrea asked beside me.

"They were the last ones to hold out as far as I know. While our people were bolting out the doors and committing suicide in the hallways, they stayed in the labs until the end. They thought they were close to a solution." the doctor finished.

"What happened?" Jacqui asked.

"Same thing that's happening here. A power grid; they ran out of juice. The world runs on fossil fuel, I mean how stupid is that?" Jenner walked over towards the computers, an aggitated Shane trailing close behind.

"What the hell are you..." Shane said through gritted teeth before Rick cut him off.

"The hell with this Shane I don't even care. Lori grab our things. Everybody get your stuff we're getting out of here now!"Rick ordered.

I wasted no time doing what I was told, I was more than willing to go. But the moment we raced to retreive our belongings, an alarm rang out through the lab, only one I swore would be heard sounding off in a prison.

"Thirty minutes to decontamination." VI said through the intercom.

I remembered Shane yelling for us to grab our valuables as we stood around, clueless as to what was going on.

My heart sank to my knees when the door leading to the lab was sealed shut, locking us in as if we were prisoners.

"Did he just lock us in?" asked Glenn shakily, looking at the sealed door. "HE JUST LOCKED US IN!"

Over at the control panels, Jenner pressed a few buttons and entered the code, locking us away with him for an unplanned doom. I remember feeling Andrea's touch against my skin, she dared to never let me go this time.

No. This isn't what I want. I don't want to die like this. I want to live... I want to see tommorow.

As the women and children all huddled together, the men seemingly charged at Jenner, saving him from Daryl's uncontrolable rage before any bodily harm could be done.

"Hey Jenner, open that door now." Rick demanded.

"There's no point, all the doors are locked." he calmly said.

"Well open the damn things." Shane said.

"That's something I don't control. The computers do. I told you once that door closes, it would never open again. Its better this way."

After VI has just finished explaining the procedure of detonating the CDC, Jenner's plan to end it all, I was already on the floor cradling my sister, my only living flesh and blood. Carol wrapped Sophia into what might be their final embrace along with Lori and Carl.

Blinded by tears, I identify the sound of a glass bottle shattering against the wall. "OPEN THE DAMN DOOR!" shouted Daryl, so full of rage.

Shane tossed him an axe, and immediately he began striking at the thick titanium door. "OUT OF MY WAY!" yelled Shane, rushing to his aid with an axe of his own.

Our silent cires were drowned out by the sounds of metal being struck repeatedly, making the kids cry even harder at every failed blow. Jenner actually had the audacity to comfort us.

"You should've left well enough alone. It'd been so much easier." Jenner said to us all huddled on the floor.

"Easier for who?" Lori spat.

"All of you. You know what's out there. A short life and brutal and agonizing death." Jenner said this to us as if it would make us feel better. Whatever.

"And so THIS is better! Blowing us up to bits!" Andrea growled.

"Fuck you!" I added, my fist balled to where my knuckles may pop.

"You know what this will do. You've seen it. Is that what you really want?" Jenner asked now facing Rick.

"I don't want this." he spat through gritted teeth.

Shane leaned on a nearby piece of machinery, clearly exhausted. "Can't make a dent." he shoved his sweaty face into his hands.

"Those doors are designed to withstand a rocket launcher." Jenner informed them, remaining in his seat. At this point, it felt as if this were a sick game to him.

"WELL YOU'RE HEAD AIN'T!" shouted Daryl, charging at the doctor, axe raised above his head.

"DARYL! NO!" I screamed, covering my mouth with my hands. I couldn't witness him taking this man's life. Panicked screams erupted in the fray.

"BACK OFF!" Dale shouted.

Luckily, T-Dog, Rick, and Glenn restrained him from doing any bodily harm to the doctor. Jenner could only kick up his feet in defense like the pathetic coward I know he is. He adjusted his lab coat as if an axe wasn't almost lodged into his head moments ago.

"You do want this. Last night you said. You knew it was just a matter of time before everybody you loved was dead." Jenner rose from his seat, his eyes not being the only ones on Rick.

"What? You really said that?" Shane asked. "After all your big talk."

"I had to keep hope alive didn't I." Rick said.

"There is no hope. Never was."

"There is hope. Maybe not you maybe not here, but somebody somewhere!"

"This isn't right! You can't just keep us here!" Carol sobbed, tears ran down her face.

Jenner shook his head at her. "One tiny moment a millisecond, no pain."

"My daughter doesn't deserve to die like this!" She cired, holding her daughter tighter. I could hear Sophia's small whimpers escape her shaking form.

Yes, I'd prefer my final moments to be with or by my loved ones, but that time is not now. If anything, I'd like to face the danger Jenner is so afraid of with those people; with everybody here. They've become my new family unit.

Desperation and fear is only a deadly combination; Shane has lost all self control, cocking his gun as he prepares to execute the doctor. Stupid. Me, the children, and the others seated nearby leaped from the shot gun blast barely dodging Jenner himself, covering our ears. Until Rick finally disarms his partner.

It isn't until after two immediate brushes with death did Jenner finally reveal his reason for remaining alive: test subject nineteen, his wife.

Lori stood beside Andrea and I, with Carl in her arms. "Just let us keep trying as long as we can. Please."

Whatever she said, it must've swayed the doctor, finally making his brain click on that this wasn't right. He sighed heavily, and then entered the code into the key pad, opening the door and handing us our freedom.

"Come on!" Daryl shouted, all of us jumping to our feet and racing to the door. Looking back, I see Jenner whispering something into Rick's ear, making his face drop at every given word. We all waited while the cop still stood there, frozen in his place unti Lori went and retrieved him.

"HEY! WE GOT FOUR MINUTES NOW COME ON!" Glenn yelled, with Carl by his side.

"Jacqui come on! Let's go!" T-Dog had an arm around Jacqui, dragging her along with us. What I heard next made me almost faint.

"No I'm staying. I'm staying sweetie." she explained, backing away from T-Dog.

"What! No!" I whimpered, pulling away from Andrea who fought to keep me restrained.

"Look that's insane!" T-Dog held her close to him. I couldn't imagine the pain he feels; Jacqui was like a mother to him.

"No its completely sane. For the first time in a long time." she paused taking a deep breath. "I'm not ending up like Jim and all them others. There's no point in arguing, not if you want to get out. Now get out, just go." she pushed at T-Dog's enormous chest, then held her hands against his face.

"Come on man. Let's go." Shane tugged at T-Dog's arm, pulling him away along us. I sniffled, broken at Jacqui's decision to end her life with Jenner. I watch the tears fall from her face as she walks deeper into the lab.

"JUST GO! GO!" Dale shouted to the group, all of us snapped out of our thoughts and just ran.

Dale kept his death grip on Andrea while I just ran alongside them. I continued to look back at the lab, catching a glimpse of Jacqui's small frame as she paced around the lab, waiting for the countdown to end. I mentally argued with myself, debating if I keep running or go back.

Damn. Andrea is gonna chew my ass out.

As they all rushed up the darkened stairwell, I quickly turned back and sprinted to the lab, lucky no one has noticed me slip away.

End of Amy's POV

"Amy?" Jacqui shot, much too confused as to why the adolescent girl came back. "Wha-What are you..."

"We have to go now!" the younger girl grabbed onto the older African-American woman's wrist, tugging her toward the exit. "Come on Jacqui!"

"I already told you, I'm stayin'. There's nothin' that can change my mind sweetie." Jacqui said, sliding down to the floor. "It's my time."

"You think this is what we want for you? What T-Dog wants?" Amy sat on her knees to level herself to Jacqui, shaking her shoulders. "You can't do this."

"Yes I can, Amy. There's nothing left."

"How could you lose your faith? Now, of all times? There's people in this group who need somebody like you."

"...There is no faith... not anymore. That well is long dried up honey." Jacqui said.

"Tell me why it has to be this way." the blonde girl sniffled, blinking the tears out of her baby blue eyes. "Tell me!"

"It's just the way it ends." Jacqui sighed with defeat.

"No! You can't just throw in the towel and quit on the people who care for you." Amy grit her teeth in frustration. "What about Byron? Did you ever quit on him?"

Jacqui only remained silent, solemnly facing the clock.

Byron Myers, was a troubled youngster a few years shy of 18. He had witnessesed his father murder his mother and was left with no other option but to bounce from foster home to foster home. He stayed a few houses down from Jacqui, living with an abusive family who only cared for the benefits they received.

Jacqui played a major role in Bryon's life, acting as his mentor and like a motherly figure. They developed an unbreakble bond; Sunday dinner became a usual routine until the geek infection broke out. He died on her front porch, having tried to save her.

"He's dead... and you need to leave." Jacqui muttered, looking down at the ground.

Jenner could only remain silent, hands were folded on his desk.

"Yeah, he is... That doesn't mean you die with him. If you end your life now, I promise you Byron would've died in vain."

Meanwhile, at the front entrance, T-Dog frantically pressed the buttons on the key pad, only for it to be proved uneffective while Glenn tugged at the doors handles. Rick rushed over to the farther side of the entrance, tossing an axe at Daryl; the father and redneck began swinging away, not even making the lightest crack.

Panicked yelling echoed through out the room.

"Where's Amy?" Andrea frantically searched around for her sister, making Dale, Lori, and Carol look around too. "WHERE IS SHE!" she screamed in Dale's face, the painful tears rolled down her face.

"I DON"T KNOW! SHE WAS RIGHT BEHIND US!" Dale screamed over all the commotion burying his voice.

T-Dog repeatedly rammed the indestructible glass with a chair over and over and over again while Daryl and Rick swung away with their axes, unsuccessful with their task.

"GET DOWN!" roared Shane, cocking his shotgun. The trio leaped out of the way, Shane then proceeded to unload his chamber into the glass, only for it to be deflected.

"The glass won't break?" Sophia mumbled, lying on her side alongside Carl and her mother.

"Fuck!" Rick cursed, rising to his feet.

"Rick! I have something that might help." Carol shoved a hand into her purse, searching around for something.

"Carol, I don't think a nail file's gonna do it." Shane sarcastically mumbled.

"Your first morning at camp," she tells Rick. "When I washed your uniform? I found this in your pocket." She pulls the hand grenade that Rick found in the tank from her bag.

God had sent them a silent prayer in the form of this grenade.

Pulling the switch out of place, the sheriff's deputy tossed the heavy piece of metal with all his might, sending it soaring toward the glass. "OH SHI-" he breathed, running for cover, right behind the others. An enormous explosion went off, making the glass shatter into a million pieces. "GO!" screamed Rick.

Back in the lab, Amy kneeled by Jacqui, holding her hand and mentally pleading with her to go.

A walker lunged at Carol and Sophia, only to end up with a bullet in between the eyes.

Another walker rushed up to Daryl, only to meet his demise with a swing from the axe; a gush of blood sprayed from its wound.

As the group fought through the crowded entrance way, Andrea looked back at the building at any oppurtunity she got, desperately searching for Amy. It was hard, loading up on that bus without her sister, but she couldn't risk going back at this rate. "DALE! WE HAVE TO GO BACK! WE HAVE TO GET AMY!" shouted Andrea.

"IT'S TOO LATE! SHE'S GONE!" yelled Shane, grabbing a hold of the blonde woman.

"NO! SHE'S MY LITTLE SISTER!" Andrea charged past Glenn, rushing through the RV, fighting to get off.

Shane, however, was a cop. Having been well trained to handle these types of situations such as a resisting asailants came with the territory. He grabbed Andrea once again, and with no other option put her in a submission hold. All hope seemed lost for little Amy.

Carl buried his face into Lori's chest to cry while Sophia covered her face with her hand to wipe away the new tears; Carol wrapped her supporting arms around her grief stricken daughter.

Glenn angrily took off his hat, throwing it down in defeat and Daryl hung his head down, sad to know Amy wouldn't come back.

"Wait! They're coming!" Lori pointed at the shattered window, making the other survivors jump up in surprise. Across the street where the RV sat, Amy and Jacqui catiously jumped from the high ledge where the window sat, Jacqui going first and then Amy.

The pair made their way from the building, being monitored on Jenner security camera through his office. Still remaining seated at his seat, Jenner solemnly picked up a picture of his wife Candace. "I'm sorry Candace. I'll be with you soon." he glided his smooth fingers on the frame as the clock counted down.

7...6...5...4...

Pulling his wrist watch up close, Rick laid on the horn, waving off to the two approaching women. "AMY! JACQUI! GET DOWN!"

The bright orange flames slowly began to pour from out of the building, making the entire group run for cover. Rick and the group on the bus ran to the back of the RV while Amy and Jacqui leaped over some objects lying in the street, covering their heads.

The screams and yells were then replaced with the over bearing sounds of the explosion; glass and debris flew everywhere, and even a few walkers close by were thrown back from the unbeatable impact from the explosion, only to land on the ground in a burning heap.

With the CDC gone in a fiery explosion, it was all gone and so was Jenner. Both perishing in the undying flames. Though shaken at first, Rick returned to his seat where the keys hung from the ignition and started up the RV, preparing his group for the next destination. Jacqui and Amy lifted themselves from the hard, black concrete and rushed over to the bus, running in as fast as their trembling legs could carry them.

Dale and Andrea rushed up to Amy, embracing her in a long hug as they all peered off into the sunset, leaving behind what was left of the CDC.


	6. Looking After Them

For a painfully long and awkward moment of silence, the mismatched foursome just stared at one another, each waiting for words to be spoken to cease the quiet.

Amy gently handed the bloody bat back to Daryl. Wrapping his dirty fingers around the base of the bat plugged Daryl's mind back up and into perfect use.

He may have been able to flood his racing thoughts with something much less complex, but he still had to process the previous events that took place less than an hour ago.

As for now, this was their shelter. A dark and boarded up town house, abandoned. It may have not been warm, cozy, or inviting for its temporary visitors tonight, but it was more of an exception than outside.

The once-boarded up door was the only barrier acting between them and the geeks, having long forgotten about food being inches away from them.

That was only the good news.

_All I gotta do is keep em' all in one piece til' mornin' comes. Then, they ain't my problem after words. Easy. I can do that._

"Let's look round' for a bit. Make sure there ain't no unwanted surprises in store for us." he instructed, brandishing his signature crossbow.

Like that would make them feel safer.

Whether he liked it or not, Daryl had no other option but to assume the role as the sole guardian of Amy, Carl, and Sophia, at least until they met up with the others later on.

Amy held the lighter inches away from the crossbow, Daryl in front ready for any geek, and lastly the kids were hot on their heels, Daryl's little comment about "unwanted surprises" stayed glued in the back of their heads.

An unexpected thump from the front door caused Amy to jump up, unleashing an uneeded squeal once the lighter fell from her grip.

Submerged in darkness, Sophia screamed out of pure instinct, not high pitched but loud enough for all ears to hear, alive or undead.

"You best shut up before I give ya to em'!" Daryl shot sharply, not to be cruel but only wanting his threat to sit with all of them.

Apparently it did with Sophia. A small yelp escaped her trembling lips, making her find solace with Carl, linking her shaking arm around his. She already felt vulnerable as is.

"S-Sorry sir." She immediately choked out.

"I ain't asked for no daggum apology. If you don't wanna get bit, I suggest ya' be quiet!" Daryl harshly shot back.

"Shut up! Don't talk to her like that!" Amy hissed not too loud, sucking on her sore forefinger to ease the burn. "Oh shi- my finger hurts!"

"We ain't got no time to cry over broken nails or somethin'."

"Or something! I burnt my finger."

"Fuck ya finger girl. Find the lighter." The hunter was on his hands and knees, feeling on the soft carpet for their only source of light. She just had to drop it in the spaced out living room with numerous chairs and a coffe table off all places.

"Don't cuss at me Dixon!"

_Who does this brat think she is? Don't she know who she's talking to?_

If that's how it was going to be, then two could play at this game.

"Bitch. Shit. Fuck. Ass. Dick. Ya' want me to go on?" he sarcastically retorted, wishing to see her reaction.

With each foul word sliding out of his lips, Carl and Sophia flinched.

"Kiss my ass!" Amy spat.

"Not after you kiss mine!"

The pair carried on multitasking from their kneeling positions on the floor, bickering with one another while they continued their search for the lighter.

For Carl and Sophia, it became painfully aware to them that they were the ones responsible for them being caught in this unfortunate situation.

Not only did their innocent game turn into a series of unfortunate events, but they even got Daryl and Amy caught in this predicament.

If only they had listened…

X

X

X

Similar to every road, this small town street was packed with vehicles of all shapes, sizes, and colors. Abandoned belongings littered the roads, belongings that would now serve as treasure to whoever found them.

Fort Benning was quite a way ahead. The group stopped in a tight knit little town to scavenge for any food, medical supplies, fuel, or ammunition and weapons.

Carl and Sophia allowed themselves to fall further behind from Jacqui and their mothers as the pair stopped, now seated inside a red Honda Accord.

Being kids, their curious fingers brushed across every device and object the car had to offer.

Imaginative Carl, donning a pair of red shutter shades found in the back seat, had his hands wrapped around the steering wheel, twisting and turning it as he mimicked the sounds of a racing car to make it seem more real.

"We're running low on fuel. We'll need to make a quick stop if we want to get to the Grand Canyon by night." He explained.

Legs propped up against the dashboard, Sophia traced an observant finger over the tiny colored lines. "We'll pull off here. We need to get directions anyway. Seriously, how do people read these things?"

Sophia kept her vacant hand at work, pulling open the middle console, the glove compartment, and even the sun visor. She was also wearing a pair of shades, pink rimmed aviators at that.

"I'm getting kinda hungry." Carl said as he "turned" into the "gas station".

"Snack time." Sophia then retrieved the backpack from the back seat and bought it up front. The latter pulled out their secret goody bag.

"Lays or Doritos?" Sophia asked, holding up both choices in chips.

"Doritos." Carl retorted, receiving his bag of chips.

"Minty or fatty gum?" she held both hands out to Carl with the selections of gum.

In one hand was a green pack of gum, Spearmint. In the other was a blue pack, Bubblicious.

"Fatty." Carl held a hand out.

And lastly two different beverages. What quick snack could be complete without a drink?

"Coke or Sprite?"

"Coke." Carl took his respective can of soda.

The constant smacking and popping of gum along with the occasional crunches of chips and slurps of soda drowned out the voices of the others around the kids.

"We're gonna have to keep this a secret. My mom and dad will get mad if they catch us." Carl tucked their junk food away in the backpack before resuming their "ride" to the "Grand Canyon".

"Do you think we'll find another doctor? Or maybe a scientist? You think they have a cure?" Sophia questioned.

"I don't know. I hope so." Carl lazily shrugged.

"The walkers… do you think a cure could turn them back to good people? Bring them back to life?"

"Nah. What's dead is dead. Nothing can bring them back. That's what my mee-maw told me."

Sophia felt her heart sink to the pit of her stomach. She thought back to each and every individual walker or infected person they ever crossed. Like Jim. Before the infection, he was just a normal man with a normal life with normal worries. Even if he was one of them, he was still Jim. At least to her.

"Do you think Jim is still… out there with the rest of _them_?" she asked, putting heavy emphasis on the last word.

"Yep." Carl twiddled his fingers on the steering wheel.

"Hey Sophia." Carl weakly slipped out. "You think we'll ever find Merle? You think he's still alive?"

Her response was a simple shrug. "I think they will. He was kinda scary, but I hope he's not hurt. I'm sure Daryl misses him."

"…And Nick. You think he's still alive too?"

She only gave him a silent and disapproving look.

"Sorry." Carl solemnly turned away from her. "I never should've said that."

"It's ok. Your mom said the angels watch over him. And other people who need a prayer."

The playful pair exchanged smiles for a few seconds. Until the sudden impact of a rough hand hitting the window startled both children, making them scream a scream which never failed to be heard.

X

X

X

Carl tried to remember exactly how to breathe. Sophia had to calm herself before panic kicked in. Another bump against the backyard door startled the youngsters, paralyzing them only temporarily.

"What if they break down the door? What are we gonna do?" Sophia asked.

"You think they can see us?" Carl whispered, ducking behind the kitchen island.

For a moment, Carl had to collect himself and distinguish the difference between reality and daydreaming.

The twelve year olds squinted at the low glow which lit up their dark surroundings.

"Wouldcha get a move on and snap out of it?" came Daryl's gruff voice from the other end of the hall way. "Get over here." The redneck ordered the pair.

Amy stood by the stairwell along side the sharp hunter, wielding the bat in one hand and the lighter in the other. She carefully trekked up the stairs fearing whatever deadly dangers could be lurking in the darkness above them.

X

X

X

Rick turned his head at the ear piercing screams. He then quickly clicked the safety off his python. He wasn't worried, at least for now.

Andrea popped her head out of the RV, looking from left to right. "Did you hear that?"

Dale stood above them all on top of the RV, binoculars hanging around his neck. "It came from over there." He pointed.

T-Dog tightened his grip on his crow bar. "Yeah, sho' did. That sounded like Carl and Sophia."

He and Rick raced over to the source of the screams, brushing past Lori, Carol, and Jacqui.

The approaching roar of a motorcycle engine signaled Daryl's return.

"What in the blue hell is goin' on?" he asked, confused at everybody's sudden urgency. He hopped off his bike, and kicked up the kickstand.

"The kids! They're in trouble!" Andrea retreated back into the RV to retrieve her gun.

"It could be a walker!" Dale peered into the binoculars, fearing the worst.

"Fuck!" In a swift move Daryl threw his crossbow over his back, almost in a practiced grace, and rushed to Rick and T-Dog's aid.

"Carl! Baby!" a worried Lori screamed. Carol trailed right behind her, and finally Jacqui.

"Sophia!" Warm tears rushed down Carol's face as she screamed for her daughter.

Weapons drawn, fearful mothers close behind, they all prepared for the worst. However, they lastly expected to see…

"Shane?" a confused Lori questioned.

The cop made his way over to the small group, Carl and Sophia along side with him. He had a firm grip on both kids, the scruffs of their shirt collars were stretched out. They may have been in trouble, but at least Shane allowed them to keep their shades.

Rick had confused tattooed all over his face, his eye brow raised at his son.

Daryl absolutely had to roll his eyes at this one.

T-Dog just couldn't help but stare at the kid's new accessories covering almost their entire faces.

"Lord Jesus all mighty, help us all." Said Jacqui, rolling her eyes at the adolescents.

Carl gave them somewhat of a nod. "Sup'." he held his balled up fist to T-Dog. The skeptical African-American unresponsively held his fist out to Carl as they bumped fists.

"Whatever in the world?" Rick asked, lowering his weapon.

"They ain't in no trouble. From the looks of it, they kickin' it." T-Dog smacked his lips and walked away, Daryl trailing not to far behind him, and then Jacqui.

"The highlight of my fuckin' day." Daryl cursed.

Like a stern parent, Shane placed his hands on his waist, delivering a harsh look at Carl and Sophia. "What do ya'll think you're doing?"

"We're ok. We were just having some fun." Carl defended himself and his newest friend.

"You had us all worried." Carol huddled her bag close to her body. "Don't ever do that again."

Carl scoffed, removing his shades from his face. "We're alright. You don't have to worry about us, we're not babies. We're g's." he joked.

"Babies or not, ya'll know better than to stray away from the group, especially when we're out in an open area. You are to stay in Dale's sight from now on, you hear me?" Rick ordered them, earning the respected yes sirs from them. "We can't take the risk again."

Sophia pulled her aviators off her face. "Wusses. We can handle ourselves just fine. Tell them Shane, before they give themselves grey hairs."

The venom in Shane's voice strongly hinted he was not playing. "Grey hairs is the last thing to worry about when ya'll get hurt or killed. And don't you ever sass an adult ever again, you got that little lady?" he snapped.

"Yes sir." Sophia quickly responded, retreating to Carol for a hug.

"...But we were just..." Carl began to explain.

"I don't need to hear that. Now go on. Get!" Shane rudely shot, leaving the kids looking confused and heart broken. Carol and Rick led them both away, before an arguement escalated out of control.

"What was that about?" Lori asked, watching them all leave. "Attacking them like that; you just crushed them both."

"Lori, they need to understand the importance of staying close. See, if it had been a walker..." Shane began rambling, leaning against a car.

"Well it wasn't. They've learned their lesson and they will remember that next time."

"Thats what I'm saying. There might not be a next time. Didn't you remember to keep an eye on both of them…?"

"No. No, no I will not take this from you; not here not now. You don't tell me how to look after my own child. I'm a grown woman." Lori growled, shoving a finger in his face. "News flash to you Shane. I'm not sure if you fully grasp this yet, but you are not their parents."

He half chuckled, shaking his head a bit. "Now I wouldn't have to be their babysitter if ya'll taught them better now would I?"

Lori was absolutely gobsmacked to hear Shane, Shane Walsh she went to school with, Shane Walsh who was the best man at her and Rick's wedding, Shane Walsh who often found himself on their living room couch when living situations became unbearable, and Shane Walsh who helped her and Carl out of Atlanta, even say the things he said to her now.

Not knowing how to respond, she shot him a disgusted look and angrily stomped away, leaving him by himself.

"What crawled up his butt and got stuck?" asked Carl, having finished witnessing the altercation between Shane and his mother not too far away.

Boredom became the sole motivater to put the adventerous pair to work, searching through abandoned cars for useful items. "Who cares? He's always yelling at somebody; at least your dad is nice." Sophia pulled out a jacket from a vacant Infiniti.

"Meh." Carl chirped.

"What do you mean meh? He's nicer than Shane and Daryl though."

"Yeah, try living with him all your life."

Sophia wasn't quite sure how to respond to that. Her family life wasn't exactly peaches and cream compared to Carl's. Naively, she had held onto hope that somehow her father would shape up and become a better man to his family; only after Nick left, did she finally see Ed for the monster he was. All the good grades, paintings, and projects she bought home from school never seemed to phase Ed; he'd give her a half-hearted compliment then return to his beer or televison show.

The love and compassion she had desperately tried to show turned into fear. She witnessed what he had done to her mother and finally figured what he may have done to her.

He may have been one of her greatest fears, but he was her father; somehow she still wanted to love him never hate him. According to her bible study teacher at church, Mrs. Kingsley, hate is a poison that contaminates the heart. Forgiving a person for their sins cleanses your heart and helps you move forward with life.

"You want to play a game?" she changed the subject.

Carl's eye lit up. It's been a while since they last had some innocent fun without adult supervision. "I know. Let's play hide and go seek." he happily suggested.

"Ok. You're it." Sophia quickly darted to find a good hiding place.

Carl counted down from twenty, counting becoming quicker as he came closer to one. Immediately, he scowered the scenery for his companion. Under the cars, in the cars, even in the RV.

Meanwhile, teenagers Glenn and Amy scouted the inside of a local boutique. Glenn had a shotgun in hand, ready at all cost.

A blurry figure rushing across the floor caught Glenn's attention; his first reaction was to throw a protective arm before Amy.

"Stop." He whispered, aiming his weapon. She readied the wooden bat she was holding.

It was only a harmless black cat. It tilted its head out of curiosity at first before it scurried away.

The pair unleashed sighs of relief. Sure, it may have been a way of living in this lifetime, but being on the edge became routine for all of them. Jumping, running, screaming, you name it; it was all part of territory, but it was exhausting.

"Better get your gun cocked Glenn. That kitty sure looks fierce." Amy joked.

"Seriously, you're going to stop teasing me one day. I'm just trying to keep you safe." Said Glenn taking a seat on a zebra print couch. He made himself at home and laid back on it, feet up in the air.

"Thanks, but I practically have a _mom and dad _looking after me twenty-four seven." Amy made her way to a nearby clothing rack.

"Bitch about it all you want, but I think it could be worse."

"Ok. Why don't you have Dale and Andrea latch onto you like a leech for a day."

"That's the good part. As far as Daryl Dixon goes, I'd be nervous about that."

"…Daryl's not that bad. He's a total sweetheart in disguise. People are such assholes; they think he's like Merle… but he's nothing like that." She pulled off a yellow blouse from the rack, placing it against her charcoal v-neck shirt.

"And you know that how?" asked Glenn. "He fits the stereotype of a gay-bashin' minority-hatin' deer-shootin' redneck."

"If you got to know him better, then maybe you'd see him differently." She quickly defended.

"He's not exactly the most approachable guy around..."

And to top it off like a cherry on a sundae, she cut him off by saying the classic words every girl used to justify an awkward crush.

"Besides, you don't even know him. None of you do!" Amy harshly shot.

A sheepish grin stretched across his lips as he rested an elbow on the soft cushions on the couch. "You like him…don't you?"

Unsuccessfully hiding her mischievous smirk, Amy ran a hand through her blonde tresses, her dreamy looking gaze landed on her pink and white Ed Hardy high tops. "Is it obvious?" she looked back up to meet his gaze.

"Amy, in the past months I've known you, you hardly ever wore shorts; even in popsicle or bikini weather. And a chick only spends enough time on her hair and make up unless she wants to get a dude's attention. I had two sisters; I know." Said Glenn, rolling his eyes.

"Whatever. Forget Daryl; it's Dale and my sister who I worry about. I'm eighteen and I can't even do something as simple as go to the bathroom without being interrogated. For God's sake, what else can I possibly do in the bathroom? It's like asking someone what they're gonna do at Wal-Mart. Duh, get groceries, not buy a car." The younger Palmer girl finished ranting.

The Korean shot her a very suggestive look. Being very awkward, Glenn somewhat ducked his head a bit.

"…I'm not going to envision what you're thinking. Pervert!" Amy threw up a hand in disgust.

She playfully chucked a lone flip-flop at Glenn, missing his cap by mere inches.

"So mean. So so mean Amy." He shook his head.

"Get over it. I adore you. You're like my Korean brother from another mother."

"Really?" Glenn asked. "I'm beginning to question your definition of family love."

"…Speaking of family… Glenn. Why didn't you live with your family anymore?"

Amy's soft voice pulled Glenn out of his spaced out world, jerking his head up and making his cap fall soundlessly into his lap. "Um…well…" Caught off guard with a tough question, it wouldn't be a piece of cake to find a strong reply.

"I, uh, didn't want to keep asking for help. I wanted to take care of myself." He retorted, sounding lost and scripted.

"… Has anybody ever told you you're a terrible liar?" She tried to add some humor to the serious subject.

Damn. She was good but then again it was so obvious.

"Well that's not the point!" Glenn shot back, brows furrowed as he nervously chewed his lip clearly frustrated that he got caught. "It's not such a big deal…I… I-I uh, was asked to leave."

"You mean kicked out, right?" There was a small string of awkward silence between the pair, broken every now and then when Amy slid the metal clothes hanger against the metal rack. "But… why? You're nineteen; you're still a kid."

Another shrug. "I mean, I love my dad to death I really do, but as I got older it became obvious that I wasn't the person my father wanted in a son. I thought he finally got a clue when I barely passed my core subjects, and had to almost repeat a year," he answered, forcing a laugh and shaking his head. "Even after that, he still had me sign up for AP courses, classes I didn't even need. I was happily passing by with straight C's, and then that."

Amy was gob smacked. Shock and disbelief spread all over her face. "Your dad kicked you out just because you didn't make straight A's?"

"Well… I had my… other reasons…" Glenn calmly trailed off before he lost his train of thought. "There came times I wanted to escape it so I got mixed up with the wrong crowd. At least they never cared who I was or wasn't. As for my father, he was a surgeon, and my mother a successful lawyer. They would never allow an average kid in the family…" he slowly pushed out.

This was becoming surprisingly easy to talk about with her, because he felt like he was closing up an old wound which never fully healed. "It's as if he expected us all to pop out of the womb with stethoscopes and degrees. Making the bare minimum only strained our already damaged relationship; he didn't even send out the invitations for graduation. Got home with a new car sitting on the driveway with a suitcase of clothes stuffed in the back. He couldn't get me out fast enough."

The blonde swallowed the lump that formed in her throat. Hearing heart breaking stories such as Glenn's made her appreciate her parents even more. She though being gounded for over a week was torture; it was nothing compared to being disclaimed for imperfection. Amy could barely lift her feet from the ground as she inched her way over to Glenn, taking a stiff seat beside him.

"I hardly ever spoke with Kylie or Emily since I left. He'd most likely disclaim them if he knew we were communicating." He finished.

Silence stuck with them, with an exception of Amy clearing her throat, struggling to find the next words she wanted to say. "…Wow. That's so sad. I'm so sorry Glenn."

"Don't be. It was my life." Obviously, the glossiness of his eyes didn't deliver the same message.

_Don'y cry. Whatever you do, don't cry in front of her. _

He turned away from her, hoping she failed to see him about ready to break down. "Um... Dale asked me to help check the RV's radiator, maybe teach me something about cars. I-I'll be right back." Glenn rose up from the couch.

"Glenn." Amy said. "As long as you never change, it doesn't matter who you are or aren't. You're still my best friend; and you're just fine." she sweetly smiled at him.

"Thanks. I wish we met before all this happened. You're my friend too." He pushed open the door and left.

Groans. Snarls. Hisses. Those were the mixed sounds erupting from the undying herd of hungry walkers, carelessly bumping into one another as the Winnebago came into view. An undead woman took the lead while the others tagged behind like mindless slaves, as the mere sight of food caught her attention: a little girl with short blonde hair ducking behind a car. And a little boy with brunette hair cluelessly looking around.

All the searching and Carl still hadn't found Sophia. His enthusiasm had long turned into frustration when the game apparently reached a professional hiding level. "Sophia? Sophia? This is getting lame; I'm not gonna play if you don't just come out."

Still no sound. No Sophia. No response.

"Alright, I give up. You happy now?" Carl peeked into a Subaru. "You win. You're the champi..."

"Carl. Ssssh." Sophia popped out from behind a car, kneeling to where her knees sat on the sidewalk. Carl instantly joined her in her kneeling position.

"There's walkers up ahead. They must've seen us. I went ahead and hid behind the car, but they still kept coming." she whispered.

Cautiously peering from behind the car, Sophia's warning was confirmed when Carl caught a good enough glimpse of the dead, slowly inching their way towards them.

"We need to get out of here before we turn into lunch." Carl grabbed her wrist, protectively guiding her along with him

Up ahead, the walkers began spilling out from behind a turned over bus. One. Six. Twelve. The numbers only increased, making Rick's worst fear realized; he needed to get the others out of danger before they were spotted. He lowered the scope of his rifle. "Oh my God."

Heads below the car windows, Carl and Sophia crawled on the opposite side of the street across from where Dale's RV sat. They were cautious to remain on the sidewalk, blocked off by the knocked over Greyhound bus, since the geeks hadn't made it past the corner yet.

"Where are we gonna hide Carl?" Sophia asked, trembling uncontrollably with fear.

"Under the cars. That should be safe, right?"

They stopped once they were facing the RV; on top of it lay Dale. From across they could also see Lori, Carol, and Jacqui ducked under a small vehicle. Their first instinct would've been to retreat to their mothers, but the risk was too great.

Lori wordlessly motioned for them to hide.

The groans only became louder, signalling the walker's were coming.

They were faced with an ultimatum.

"Pssst. Sophia. In here." Carl pointed to a little boutique shop. The pair scurried in quickly, Carl holding the door open while Sophia kept a firm grip on the bell hanging on the door, to prevent its unnecessay chime from giving up their hiding spot.

"Shhh. Hide." Carl ordered.

They ingored the fierce rug burn on their shins as they crawled behind a rack of hanging clothes aligned in a circle.

Never once had she sensed there was danger near. Amy had stepped out of the now vacant stall after a few pairs of pants didn't please her. She realized now that she had some comapny with her. "What are you guys doing?" she asked with a confused expression.

She'd have taken a few foolish steps and had them all meet their demise had Carl and Sophia not stopped her from doing so.

Amy clasped her hands over her mouth to silence the scream which dared to escape once the walkers began passing by the window. She slid back into the stall bringing her knees to her chest.

The trio of adolescents could only wither in fear as the numerous sounds of hands hitting and sliding against the glass window filled their terrified ears. Every painful second made the ordeal seem to go on forever as the shuffling of shoes and groans continued to come.

Sophia kept her hand over her mouth to stop from screaming out. Carl held his hands over his ears wishing it were all over.

A good scolding, maybe even a whooping would be appreciated right now by Carl and Sophia once this was all over.

Relief finally set in once the herd began to die down, the mass of walkers shortening down to a few until there were no more limping by the store windows. The coast was as clear as day and they seemed to be out of any real danger.

"I think they're gone." Sophia whispered.

"Somebody should go check." Carl insisted, but he wasn't moving.

"You go." Sophia shook her head. No way was she going to investigate.

Amy rapidly patted her hand on the carpet floor a millisecond before Carl's little head could peer from behind the clothing rack. She shot a threatening don't you even dare look; unbelievably this warning was defied. Carl counted down; three, two, one.

Big mistake.

A hefty sized walker standing dazed by the window met Carl's eyes the minute he turned from around the clothing rack, watching as its prey jumped back once he was noticed. Reacting to food being close in such a long time, it threw itself onto the glass window shattering it in the process. It continued to bang and paw at the door, shoving it half way open in the process.

_"Oh God. What do I do? What do I do?" _Amy inwardly panicked now that she was presented with impending danger. Beneath the closed sign hanging on the door knob read pull, meaning it was the other way around from the outside. They were screwed.

Bang! Bang! Bang! The third shove threw the door wide open giving the hungry walker easy access. Amy sat in shock as the geek slowly limped closer, teeth bared and ready to bite. A quick scan of the floor's contents gave her opportunity to retreive her weapon, the bat. She quickly crawled over to it. Just as it lunged at her, she shot up on both feet and raised the bat over her head and bought it down on the walker's head with relentless and unearthly force, killing it instantly.

A few inches away Carl and Sophia huddled together in shock and fear. Carl cupped a hand over his mouth, to stop the flow of vomit that peaked at the top of his throat.

They wordlessly watched as the contents of the geek's brains oozed out of its decomposed skull. Amy's charcoal shirt was now spattlered with crimson red.

A series of more hisses and groans became noticed; the commotion apparently had driven in some of the fatty walker's reinforcements. Carl and Sophia lept up from behind the clothing rack. "Out the back door now!" Amy demanded.

Fleeing out the emergency exit led the trio straight into a dirty alley. Cooperating together, the trio pushed an old and musty couch in front of the door, blocking off the walkers inside. They wouldn't have to worry about them. As for the crowd of approaching walkers from the front, that was a problem.

Sophia had a small amount of time to only count seven heads before a set of hands reached out grabbing her, Carl, and Amy by the back of their shirts.

Ducking them behind a nearby dumpster, those same hands clapped over Carl and Sophia's mouths to prevent anymore screaming. They'd barely made it alive out of the shop. In pure insticnt, Sophia bit as hard as her teeth could sink into the mystery person's hand, earning a deep growl in annoyance.

"Woulda chill the hell out. It's me." said an all too familiar Southern accent.

"Daryl?" Carl gawked. Last time he saw him was out on the street. "How did you-"

"We ain't got time for no chit chat young'un." he readied his crossbow.

The banging on the emergency exit door became heavier and louder gaining the attention of the walkers up front. "Go! Go!" Daryl shouted, shoving Carl and Sophia off to Amy. They raced towards the long alley's end, keeping good distance from the walkers behind. Their escape path ended with a wire fence, standing between the alley way and the thick woods up ahead.

"Get over the fence, quick!" Daryl instructed them, doing a quick shoulder check. Amy aided Carl and Sophia up the fence, pushing them higher and higher until they went up and over, then pulled herself up. Daryl may have been the last one to reach the fence, but was the quickest.

Dumbfounded, Amy questioned how many run ins he had with the law.

"Come on!" Carl tugged at her shirt, pulling Amy towards the wooded area.

With the walkers cleared out the remaining Atlanta survivors were now safe and out of harm's way. Carol pulled herself from under the vehice followed by Lori, both women would've rushed into the alley had T-Dog not stopped them. Rick approached them, rifle in hand.

A tearful Carol spoke. "Rick. There's walkers after our babies." she stiffled a sob.

Up ahead, the redneck and three youngsters raced down the wodded hillside, tripping and falling over one another. They had managed to reach a street connecting them to a small section of the town. The groans were off in the distance, but they'd still need a safe haven for now.

Down the road, an entrance way lead straight into a housing complex. Audubon Homes it read on the stone sign. They looked like home, much more spaced out than apartments. Judging by the closeness of the houses, they had to be townhouses.

"We'll take our chances here." Daryl said.

X

X

X

The family room along with the two bedrooms awaiting them at the top of the stairs was without a doubt, the best option for them to wait and rest. The bedroom windows were the only ones having not been boarded up, giving a generous amount of moonlight which seeped through the blinds and a better view of the outside.

Daryl placed his crossbow on the glass table. "Um... ya'll should be gettin' some shuteye." he told them, taking his position on the stretched out sofa. With all the walkers standing right outside the townhouse, he couldn't risk falling asleep; not like he could anyway with all the possibilities swimming in his head.

Amy led the kids into the nearby bedroom to settle down before returning to the family room with Daryl; Carl took the right side of the bed while Sophia took the left side, so they were facing one another.

Carl wasn't too sure if Sophia had already succumbed to the sleepiness, but he felt like he needed to say what was on his mind. If not a prayer, they needed some wise words. "It's ok, we'll be safe tonight. Remember, the angels are watching over us too. We need a prayer." he reminded, pressing his face deeper into the soft pillow before he drifted away into the ocean of sleep.

As for Sophia, she could only imagine herself back in the comforting arms of her mother, in the safety of the encampment. She felt the tears sting her eyes before falling down her face. She was catious enough to bury her face into the pillow so her cries couldn't disturb Carl as he peacfully slept. She missed her mother, her doll, her soft sleeping bag, and lastly Nick. She routinely prayed for him every night before going to bed, but tonight, she would need a prayer herself.

The soft cries failed to go unnoticed by the awkward pair seated in the room neighboring the bedroom. Amy swiftly tossed the blanket off her warm skin, and flung her mass of hair forward, throwing it up in a high ponytail. "I'll get her." she queitly walked over to the kids' room.

Good thing she was there, otherwise Daryl knew he'd be screwed. Kids weren't really his cup of tea; in fact, he truthfully didn't like children at all. Hate was too much of a powerful word since he'd been a rough and wild one himself. His first option to end the whining would be a good knock upside the head; eventually the tears stop once they get the idea.

As of tonight, Amy had just been granted a new duty other than laundry or cooking. Carl and Sophia watch.

_Mornin' can't get here fast enough._

X

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Author's Note

PaganButterfly. Your request has been granted; I saved Sophia. Carl will always need a friend his age. Thanks for the review.

Plus, Amy and our beloved redneck need plenty of time to get to know each other. This was a bit of a flashback sequence; I hope ya'll like it!

I'd like to thank those who have reviewed so far: PaganButterfly, Jayna Prime, VMG, RARA8686, Clarissa8, Alilley, and Jac Danvers.


	7. Housed Down

These surroundings were new to her; so foreign and alien. Amy blinked a few times to adjust her eyes to the daylight pouring into the bedroom. Where were they? Why weren't the others there yet?

Yesterday's previous events flooded back into her mind. The herd, Daryl saving them, and finding the townhouses.

Across from her, Carl and Sophia stirred, eyes rapidly blinking away the sleep. They scanned their surroundings before their young eyes caught hers.

Amy recalled having a harder time getting Sophia to sleep than Carl, hearing her cries in the night. She already knew Carol had to be doing the same thing as well.

Carl looked past the end of the bed. "Good morning." He said.

"Morning." Amy responded. "Did you sleep alright?" it was much too strange because of how casual the conversation was heading.

Carl shook his head. "Yeah." He rubbed one eye.

Sophia shrugged her shoulders. "Kind of. The walkers were all so loud out there. It was real hard to get some sleep." the younger girl motioned out the window, towards the unwelcomed guest who lingered outside of the townhouse until the ripe hours of morning when they finally wandered away.

"Yeah no kidding." Amy stood up from the oval red egg chair, stretching her arms above her head. "One day away from Shane and I already miss his freakishly loud snoring."

"It's not so bad." Carl joined in, yawning widely.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, he's slept on our couch so many times I'm already used to it." the comment was met with laughter.

"Where did Mister Dixon go?" Sophia questioned.

Amy peeked into the family room._ "Where's Daryl?" _she thought noticing his absence from the family room sofa.

"He couldn't have just left." Carl said, throwing one foot off the bed before the other.

"Think we should go downstairs?" Sophia set her feet on the soft carpet.

They all climbed down the stairs, Carl and Sophia held hands while Amy remained in front. Having spent the night here with no problems, they were all positive this was a safe haven.

The innocent contact between the two youngsters provided the comfort and security they needed to get down to the ground floor.

Daryl was in the kitchen testing one of the outlets with the plug to the coffee pot in the kitchen since the ones in the bathrooms and bedrooms were burnt out.

He was granted the luxury of running water, but soon realized he was beginning to stretch his luck by hoping for electricity. "Damn." He pulled the plug out, mumbling something along the lines of a complaint.

Carl and Sophia broke apart for the first time since leaving the upstairs and took their seats at the table while Amy sat beside them at the counter. They looked up to her as if waiting for instructions, then shifted their dependence to the last person they'd expected to be taking orders from let alone conversing with.

The kids were all so quiet, too quiet. It startled Daryl to turn around and find them seated down as if they were expecting him.

He was now the adult in this situation meaning it was his responsibilty to take the initiative and be the first to speak. He might as well get used to it. "Hey. Ya hungry?" Daryl questioned them, turning his attention back to his already failed mission. He fought to pull the stubborn plug from the wall once again. "Think they got some food stashed away somewhere."

"Yeah!" Carl spoke up a bit too hastily. He pulled himself out of his seat to help himself to whatever was in the kitchen. "Come on Sophia." he motioned for his friend to follow.

The three of them took the invite to go through the contents of the pantry and refridgerator to feed themselves. Carl and Sophia rummaged through the pantry, speaking amongst themselves as they explored their food choices. Amy sorted through the refridgerator, pouring a gallon of milk way past the expitory date down the sink.

"Oooh, can we have some of this?" Sophia pulled out a fairly good sized tub of ice cream out of the freezer. Her frail fingers worked away at the top until she pried it open.

"Some what girl?" Daryl asked, turning around to face her.

Carl raced over by Sophia, peeking in at the chocolate dessert he hadn't laid eyes on for the longest. "Ice cream." Carl dreamily responded in her place, pulling open the silverware drawer to obtain the proper eating utensil.

Daryl huffed carelessly. "I ain't ya daddy. Go for it." he wavered off a lazy hand to the children.

"Are you sure? My mom and dad say I'm not allowed to have a lot of sweets." a skeptical Carl asked a final time.

Daryl turned around to face the much younger adolescent. "What happens in th' walls of this house stays behind th' walls of this house."

"But what if my mom finds out?" Sophia innocently asked, truly terrified of getting into any trouble.

"I don't care. I ain't gonna tell if ya don't wanna."

A kind deed couldn't go unappreciated. He knew better. Carl and Sophia politely thanked Daryl properly before returning to their frozen treat. "Thanks Daryl." they picked up the tub and along with Sophia, jogged up the stairs.

Amy leaped up on the countertop, taking a seat on the cold granite. "What are you doing?" Amy pulled her ponytail out, letting her messy blonde hair fall.

"Testin something." Daryl responded.

"Oh yeah. What's that?" Amy pulled open the bin to the vegetables.

"Tryna get these stupid outlets to work." he rested his tired hands for a moment, folding them on the countertop. "We got some water runnin, but I ain't got lucky with th' electronics."

Amy had wondered about Daryl's past. He wasn't the quickest to open his heart up and pour that sort of personal information out. She remembered watching him from afar at camp, usually taking his position as guard to avoid any contact. As she and the others surrounded the campfire and exchanged stories from the past, Daryl would always be absent. He was becoming more difficult to figure out.

"What did you do before all this happened? What were you an electrican?"

"Naw," Daryl shook his head, "Construction. Been doin it ever since I was fourteen. Can go at that all day, but this ain't for me."

Amy flipped her hair back. She wasn't quite sure how to react to what she was just told. What would make a child that young need to seek employment at the ripe age of adolescence? She pondered that thought while tearing into the plastic wrapper of a granola bar.

"You're parents were ok with you working that young?" she asked. "Where were they?"

"What does it matter?"

"I was just askin..."

"Yeah well, you'd best not question adults bout shit you don't understand." Daryl hissed.

"Maybe I shouldn't ask anything at all next time." Amy shot back with a strong hint of sarcasm in her voice.

"Yeah maybe you shouldn't. Don't worry bout them. Ya go head' and worry bout yourself." the redneck snapped much too quickly. "Ya don't see me askin' questions bout' ya kin. I preciate' it if you left mine well alone."

Amy furrowed her brows, feeling a mix of shock, annoyance, and hurt within her core. "Well excuse the hell out of me. Jesus." She muttered while he shot her a look. She jumped down from the counter top, turning away from him.

_Here we go. Back to square one on the Dixon scale. _Amy rolled her eyes in the back of her sockets.

Clearly this was a personal subject for Daryl that would have to remain closed until later on. She didn't mean to offened him. Daryl did have to admit he felt bad for snapping, seeing the look on her face. But then again, why should he. If he was not being too harsh, then maybe Amy was just too soft.

"Ey hold up now. I think I got it. It's wo-" He shoved the plug in for what would be the final time. Unexpectedly, a bright burst of light shot from the plug in, the outlet shock zapped the unsuspecting redneck who pulled back a few seconds too late. "Shit!" he yelped, wavering his finger around.

Amy screamed with a mouthful of granola bar, nearly tripping over her own feet as she rushed away from the hazardous outlet as well.

She ended up knocking the fruitbowl over onto the floor. "Oh my God!" she cupped both hands over her mouth. "Oh my God."

"Fuck. Fuck. Fuck." Daryl swore through gritted teeth. He felt the tears sting the corner of his eyes. Thankfully she didn't notice.

The teenager lightly gripped the redneck's rough hand, gingerly guiding him out of the kitchen and into the livingroom. "I think you need a break."

"Whatcha doin?" he asked gruffily.

"Returning the favor and saving you."

Daryl snatched away from the youngster. "Whatever. I don't need some lil girl helpin me out." he tirelessly wandered around the livingroom.

"I call bullshit on that. Just because I'm a chick doesn't mean I should be underestimated."

"And what makes you so sure... lil Palmer?"

"Beleive me, I'm full of surprises... Dixon."

Up above on the upper level of the house, Carl and Sophia began browsing for anything of use in the rooms. The main priority the previous night was to locate a place to hide and atleast be sure it was safe. They didn't even have the time to notice how exuberant and marvelous the town house truly was. Their tour ended in the bathroom en suite when they stumbled upon the common valuables found in a woman's bathroom.

Nail polish, mascara, hair straighetner, lip gloss, magazines, the whole package. The latest issue published for Seventeen was 2010. Sophia flipped through numerous pages before stalling on one. The young blonde then turned her attention to the cosmetics lying before her.

Carl disposed of the empty ice cream container in the trash bin

"Uhh... whatcha looking at?" Carl questioned aloud, clearly out of his comfort zone surrounded by cosmetics.

"Oh you know, mascara. Lip gloss." Sophia said matter-of-factly like he was supposed to know.

"What the heck?" he examined an eyelash curler like the curious child he was.

Their restless fingers flipped open a case of eye shadow lightly running their delicate fingers over the colors. "Guess you never saw your mom putting on make up. That's an eyelash curler. Hold still." She rubbed a good portion of shadow on her finger. "How should I know. Can you not poke me in the eye?" Carl shot back, squirming against the feel of her cold fingertips on the lids of his eyes as she rubbed on a shade of blue. "You need to hold still." Sophia instructed, adding the finishing touches of mascara.

Sophia then cautiosly gripped his lashes with the small device, him pulling back when he felt pain and discomfort. "Ow! Why would you women use these?" Carl pushed her hand away. He smeared the blue and black substances on his eyes with the back of his hand, only creating an even bigger disaster on his face.

Once Carl saw his reflection in the mirror, he jumped back in surprise. The boy staring back at him was unrecognizable, almost frightening to be honest. "Oh my gosh, you turned me into a girl!" Carl yelped in fear, twisting the knob on the faucet as he carelessly splashed water on his face. Without thinking, he then snatched the closest item resembling that of a rag, a white cotton wool object, and scrubbed his face. "Um Carl." Sophia wrinkled her nose in disgust.

Yet he still continued to scrub. "Uh Carl... you might want to put that down." Sophia instructed him. The playful youngster bit down on her lip to refrain the laughter which dared to escape the moment Carl dabbed the soft material on his face. "This tissue is weird. What is this anyway?" he turned to her. Judging by the mischevious glint on her face, it couldn't have been what he expected to hear.

"Uh it's a pad. My mom said girls wear them when their... time of the month comes."

At first confusion set in, then annoyance. As he struggled to pull the answer out of his head, the confusion and annoyance was replaced with pure shock and disgust once he realized what she meant. There had come a time when his mother and father had discussed the various topics of puberty with him. He dropped the feminine product in an instant. "EW!" he rapidly pawed at his make up smeared face. "It's not funny!"

"Yes it is." Sophia held her stomach with one hand, pointing at him with the other.

"No it's not! Quit!" _"Quit!"_

"Oh man, don't do that!" _"Oh man, don't do that!" _

"I'm telling Amy and Daryl." _"I'm telling Amy and Daryl." _

"Ugh!" _"Ugh!" _

Sophia stuck her tongue out, in a playful and equally teasing manner. This only fueled her smaller friend with a taste for revenge due to his humiliation. "You're dead!" Carl gave chase, only to slip and land chest first on the bathroom floor from the mess of spilt water. He had to roll onto his back to revive himself from the sudden loss of air.

"Not if you can't catch me _Carla_." she took off down the hall, with Carl trailing not too far behind.

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The frustration and emotions had long set in since the previous day. Dale must've circled the Winnebago around the same section of the town numerous times, only for his attempts to remain futile in locating the missing members.

At this point they would only lose more and more fuel if they continued their search this way. He pushed down on the brakes. "Wait. What's going on? Why are we stopping?" Andrea questioned. "Dale, why did you stop?"

"Andrea, we have to face it. They're not here." the man, many years her senior, unbuckled himself. "At this rate, we'll only lose more and more fuel."

"No..." the former civil rights attorney muttered to herself, now that her already shattered world was beginning to crash down on her.

Rick added more bullets to his python. He clicked open the barrel and checked. All rounds intact. The line of cars hadn't even come to a complete stop before Lori and Andrea flung the doors open and ran out.

"Carl!" she yelled into open air. "Carl!" her voice began trailing off as her worst fears were becoming real. Body racked with sobs, the grieving mother fell onto her knees in tears. "He's gone. Oh God he's gone. Not my boy. Not my boy."

Carol was crying something with the same lines concerning the loss of her child as well, her words only becoming noncomprehensible in Rick's ears as everything seemed unreal. Andrea couldn't pull herself to speak another word, let alone take another breath. Before she could rethink her actions, she flung herself onto the nearest body, that being Shane's.

"Hey," T-Dog piped in, being the first to interrupt the grieving parents and sibling. "Daryl's gone too. Carl, Sophia, and Amy, they probably with him."

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"Sophia!" Daryl was madder at himself than he was with Carl and Sophia. They haven't even made it through the day and he'd already lost two of the three youngsters. "Carl!"

"Carl! Sophia!" Amy joined in, hoping to be of any help.

Sophia's sneakers dug hard into the carpet on the stairs, nearly ending with her colliding with Daryl. Carl came to a screeching halt before he could collide with Sophia. Boy, did Daryl look mad. They figured they were in for it now.

"Sop-" Daryl repeated. "What did I tell ya'll bout bein queit? Don't go stompin all round' th' place. And for Christ sakes stay in my sight."

_"Oh frick!" _Sophia thought to herself, trying to get her racing heart under control. They had already broken the ground rule of being queit. The consequences she knew for disregarding the rules were far worse than a few harsh words. She feared them greatly.

"Yes sir." Sophia squeaked out of fear.

"Don't get smart!" Daryl shot.

Amy and Carl felt bad for Sophia. She looked like she could burst into tears at any minute now. The young girl sniffed a bit.

"Carl..." Daryl shook his head in disgust as he eyed the boy. He recalled that trip he, Merle, and a slew of their friends had taken to San Fransisco. And to this day, he was still haunted by the unspeakable horrors he had encountered while up there. "I don't wanna know. Wipe that shi- stuff off ya face." He barely stopped that from sliding out.

When they got through with the food; a bag of hot cheetoes, froot roll ups, honey buns, oreos, and finally a bottle of Southern Comfort for Daryl, he figured he earned a free moment to himself, a well needed reward for watching after these three. They went to go see what was salvaged in the small garage.

All of a sudden, Carl began groaning, rubbing his hands over his sore head and stomach. The young boy's stomach appeared to be rejecting the food he had consumed, casuing him to double over from the pain.

"Woah what's wrong?" a clearly nervous Daryl questioned. He had already jumped to the worse assumption. Zero tolerance for walkers would be a policy much too difficult to go through with now. What would he tell Rick and Lori?

"I don't feel so good."

Before Carl could object the Daryl's assumption, he felt the scruff of his shirt collar get snatched up, and had a hand on his forehead. He was a tad bit warm, but he wasn't striking a fever.

He took Carl, Sophia and Amy tagged along, into the guest bathroom upstairs where he had discovered the collection medications, none for children unfortanutely.

"I'll go see if they have any pepto bismol downstairs." Amy rushed down the flight of stairs quickly.

Daryl wordlessly began his hunt for the proper medication needed to treat a stomach ache. He already felt guilty enough for snapping at the two of them before, so he made it his personal goal to be the one to help out Carl. Sure, he was panicked, but he could've handled it better. He couldn't do this alone. He needed Amy as much as she needed him.

"Hey, check under the sink for anything Phia'." he calmy ordered her. He watched out of the corner of his eye as she catiously approached him, acting as if she expected him to do something. The look in her eyes was identical to that of a scared rabbit trapped in a corner. The poor kid had already displayed a great amount of fear around the men of the camp, thanks to her no good father. And Daryl Dixon just may have traumatized Sophia even further.

He felt a sense of relief wash over him as he laid his eyes upon what looked identical to a painkiller bottle. Daryl completely disregarded the bold words in blue above, and only read the white ones underneath; reading extended relief.

"What is that?" Carl asked rubbing his stomach.

"Midol. I gotta feeling it's gonna work. Here take some." He tilted the bottle over his hand.

"I don't think I should take those. My mom said you shouldn't take stuff if you don't know what it is."

Daryl ripped the orange and white label off the bottle and tossed the crumpled paper over his shoulder. "This here say extened relief. You want that right?" Carl nodded his head. "Then that's what you get." Both he and Sophia watched as Carl took both the pills with a handful of water, awaiting for them to kick in.

About what felt like ten minutes into it, Carl's progress seemed to be doing much better. He was up and moving about and appeared to have no pain at all. Twenty minutes later. What felt like an hour go by, he seemed to be completely healed. Daryl went ahead and pulled out the night's dinner: hot dogs. He lit up the grill on the patio on the second floor, using that as a substitute as a stove to get finished with the cooking.

About half way through the meal, the pain that Carl felt almost an hour ago then came back even more fierce. It was so strong, he had to quit eating and only down water. It felt as if lava was boiling over in his small intestine. Just before he could reach for his hot dog on the plate, the feeling shot through his entire stomach. Sadly for him, this feeling wracking all over his body immediately became recognizable, causing him to jump out of his seat.

"What's wrong Carl?" a now alarmed Sophia asked.

"I-I. Oh no. I got to go to the bathroom!" Carl raced to the nearest bathroom his feet could carry him, leaving the remaining three looking confused.

Daryl and Amy abandoned their half eaten food to assure Carl was at the least alright. The pair never even had a chance to ask him what was wrong before the door was slammed shut in their faces. Daryl gripped the knob, peeked a questioning look at Amyl, and then shoved his head into the bathroom to check on Carl. He finally pulled out to give an impatient Amy the answer, not even with words; his shirt collar was covering a majority of his face.

"Well? What's wrong with him?" Amy tried to push past him, only for the redneck to block her off.

"You best not go in there lil Palmer."

It didn't take her long to catch on, but that was enough said."...Gross." Amy shook her head in disgust. "Is it from earlier?"

"Prolly' all that damn food they was eatin." Darl muffled through his shirt over his mouth.

"But I thought you gave him something."

Daryl groaned in annoyance. "I did. He was fine. I'm tellin ya. The bottle said somethin' bout' exteneded relief and cramps. Figured it'd settle his lil belly ache."

"Extended rel... Wait. What else did the bottle say Daryl?" This was beginning to really scare her.

"Midol. Why?" he carelessly shrugged.

The minute the word slipped out of his mouth, Amy's piercing blue eyes became huge, giving off the hint that something went wrong, horribly wrong. Her speechlessness had even made Daryl become nervous. "Midol. You gave him midol, seriously! It's not for stomach aches."

"What the hell difference it make? Posed' to help with the cramping."

"A big one! Only for cramps you get from your period. It's not for men." she rubbed her hand on her forehead. "My dad took some when he had a migraine. He had the runs too."

Oops. Big mistake. Daryl rolled his eyes. No wonder the boy was sick. He could only blame himself since he was the idiot who had given an adolescent boy a medication for women, only for the side effects to backfire.

"Get Sophia upstairs. I'll be there once Carl... gets through." he suggested.

The teenager nodded as she looked. Amy collected Sophia from the kitchen and led her upstairs to the bedroom. Daryl unintentionally caused this, so he had to fix this. What could he do? He took the time to rummage through the kitchen for the ingrediaents he could use to create some kind of remedy.

He was once a child. He got sick when he was younger. What was he given when he became sick?

Lemon water. Daryl had always been given the home remedy whenever he became sick. With the well needed ingredients being water, lemon juice, and a pot his home remedy was near competion. All he needed was the grill to boil the water.

Once Carl emerged from the bathroom with a pained look on his face, Daryl led the younger boy upstairs to the master bedroom. Since Sophia hadn't gotten little to no sleep the previous night, she crashed. Carl was already well on his way as well. His lids repeatedly drooped as Daryl heated up the remedy on the grill.

"Here, it tastes funny, buy you'll feel better this time."Daryl handed Carl the glass of cloudy water.

It was funny tasting as said along with the burn it had to offer from the heat. But he did as he was told and drank the whole thing. A few minutes afterward, he joined Sophia in her slumber.

Amy did a quick check of the streets. There were less walkers than last night, but still a good slew of them limped past the cars and houses, growling amonst one another. At the least, something was working to their advantage.

After today, Daryl would have to know that being a guardian of children went further than just simply keeping them safe. He didn't know how long he could keep this up. For starters, why was he doing this? These were the same people who had abandoned his brother on a rooftop. He didn't owe them any favors.

Amy wordlessly eyed the rotting corpses below her. She could only pray they would be safe tonight and any other night. But seep down inside, she knew it'd only be a matter of time before they would get in.

XXX

Author's Note: Happy Father's Day to all the fathers and those who have fathers.

First, I'd like to start off by thanking Toeno10 and Symboiticdeath for reviewing. Because I am thankful for the reviews I have gotten, I will try to make the next few chapters come quicker than later.

Well people, Daryl Dixon now knows that you don't give children just any kind of medication, especially giving a twelve year old boy Midol. He's slowly learning how to take care of the children. Little does he know, he might be better at it than he thinks. The protective instinct is there though, he's definitely not leaving them even though he's not on good terms with the others. But he definitely has to be nicer to all of them.


	8. Taking A Step Forward

The time flew by and the outside sky darkened to an almost pitch black color, marking the ripe hours of night. And another night to silently sit through while the hungry walkers lurched right outside in the front. They were another day without the groups' protection.

As far as the time went, it didn't do all bad for Daryl, Amy nor Carl or Sophia. Time such as this heals all wounds. It also heals stomach and bathroom problems brought on by a woman's medication.

"King me." Sophia triumphly announced.

"Oh man." Carl sighed in defeat, handing over his red checker piece.

Daryl had been dozing on and off repeatedly throughout every game the restless children had played. The only thing keeping him awake was the powerful stench of the dried nail polish which burned his nostrils. He chalked it up to be a lady thing that Amy had taken up to ease her boredom. Every passing second, he hoped for Rick or Shane to come bursting through the door to their rescue. Or Lori, Andrea, and Carol's tearful sobs of being reunited with their missing loved ones.

He didn't know or care how their little reunion was done. All he knew was that they'd better get to them and quick.

"Kin – hey. Do you hear that?" Carl threw down his checkers and ran up to the couch to look out the window.

Sophia and Amy awaited an explanation as to what they needed to be hearing before joining him at the window, all kids huddled up close together like a band of frightened deer.

"What did you hear? Carl?" Amy questioned, trying to follow his darting eyes as they fell onto different obstacles in the street. "Carl? What was it?"

Carl couldn't reply, he couldn't risk ignoring what he thought he heard. His mother screaming out his name.

It didn't take long for Sophia to catch onto what Carl had been searching for in his moment of silence. The look on his face was almost as identical to hers whenever she awaited her mother or brother to get out of the hospital while she tirelessly sat at home. It was a dead look of hope. "Why aren't they here yet?" Sophia propped herself up on the couch higher. "They were supposed to be here. I want to leave." The pitch in her voice shifted, evident she was on the brink of tears.

It was much too hard to blame the both of them for missing their parents, especially if you yourself are just a child as well. Amy had grown used to being the sole center of her parent's attention shortly after Andrea had left for college. It wasn't until after graduation would the time come for them to part for an extended period of time. Much longer then her time at cheer camp. Amy figured she'd have to say a temporary goodbye to them when she went off to college in the fall; she'd never thought she'd be saying the last goodbye when she got behind the wheel of her Bug to meet up with Andrea down the road.

In the ripe days of the infection, she would cry herself to sleep almost every night thinking about the fate they both met.

"Do ya'll wanna eat some dinner?" asked Daryl.

"Yeah." Amy answered out for all of them.

It turned out Carl wasn't ready to leave the couch, Amy retreated to the bathroom, and Sophia ended up in the kitchen with Daryl. Alone.

She wordlessly watched as he rummaged through the backpack found tucked away in a corner inside the closet, shoving his hand of into the main pouch. Inside the pouch, there were two bow knives, a box of matches, band aids, Southern Comfort, fruit smiles, crackers…

Daryl was beginning to get angry. Not because he was out of whiskey, or because he had misplaced a knife. He had promised a trio of children he'd feed them, but he couldn't find anything delectable for dinner. He'd already learned the hard way that Carl and Sophia would require a much more nutritious and balanced meal than just any random junk food.

The silence was getting them nowhere. Sophia figured the time to actually speak with him would be later. Maybe… "So… what are we going to eat?"

The youngster patiently awaited a response from him. Until Daryl finally pulled out a box and can. "How bout' beans and rice?" he was positive he'd seen it hanging up on his ex's refrigerator, organized in the weird food chart all the adults in his life had warned him about.

"Yes sir." Sophia said by accident. Her hand immediately slapped over her mouth, muttering an oops once her error was made. She couldn't help it, she was nervous.

With a level head on his shoulder, Daryl caught the frightened tone in which she said it in. There was not one hint of sarcasm in this kid's voice. Odds are she truly meant that as a sign of respect. Seldom did any of the other youngsters use the word without being a smartass until now. It felt odd. Maybe the kids were alright.

"Look here, you best drop that sir shi – stuff and just call me Daryl. Like Amy does."

"Yes." It took a lot, but it didn't slip out, much to Sophia and Daryl's surprise.

The exhausted redneck ripped open the rice box and tore into the can. "Sides' that mess is for old people anyway." He then rummaged inside the pantry for a side to accompany the dish; he held a can of chopped carrots in one hand and a can of green beans in the other.

"Carrots? Or green beans?" Daryl decided to include Sophia in the selection of vegetables.

"I don't like carrots." Answered Carl who just came into the kitchen with Amy by his side. She tugged at the light fabric shirt spotted with the now dried and crusty blood as it continued to chafe against her skin.

"Yeah and I can't stand the taste of green beans. It makes me want to vomit." Amy groaned in pure disgust.

Then again, maybe the kids weren't alright. "Yeah, well you ain't gonna feel right when I cuff you upside you…" he barely managed to prevent his threat from sliding out. He'd just remembered that old saying he told himself continuously. _"Remember. They're more scared of you than you are of them."_

Carl gave him a questionable look mixed with fear. "Huh? What did you say?" he asked.

"Nothin. We just gonna go ahead and have both." He returned to preparing the meal, grabbing the proper tools needed to cook the meal up close enough to perfection. His first step towards bonding with the children would begin with them helping him cook. Carl was the first to volunteer. Sophia only waited to go if he would participate, more so she wouldn't be alone with Daryl. And finally Amy turned down the offer, her excuse was that she felt sticky and gross, and was in desperate need of bathing.

Amy made the right turn down the hall once she reached the peek of the stairs while Daryl, Carl, and Sophia took a left turn which lead them to the bedroom in which the grill sat on the patio.

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It was painfully still, nothing but the sound of birds chirping along with leaves and grass crunching beneath Andrea's cowboy boots. Lori had just finished the last of her sweet tea, setting the empty glass on the wooden stump before her. The sound of the glass echoing amongst the women stole pierced the queit lingering in the atmosphere.

Jacqui gripped her mug full of hot chocolate, swirling the hot beverage around in the cup. She pulled her hoodie tighter around her body to sheild away the cool breeze blowing through the trees.

The group were all about ready to turn in for the night, since they were most vulnerable during that time of day.

Andrea turned a cold shoulder to both of the mothers, her icy attitude having lingered around camp all day. Both Lori and Carol wordlessly watched as she rudely slammed her dirty dishes on the stump. Jacqui didn't appear phased by it at all.

"I'll get it." Carol gently said, somewhat ducking her head as she approached the former attorney.

Carol could not keep still for herself or the others. The woman constantly moved around and fidgeted to keep herself occupied. Watching her made Lori feel bad, but she felt much too numb to offer any supportive words. Jacqui offered her some assistance, only for her friendly attempts to be brushed off repeatedly. Andrea however wanted to hit her. She herself was completely wracked with guilt, any task beyond her capability.

"_Why did I abandon my little sister? I always did." _The thought tore her heart into pieces.

The sound of approaching footsteps pulled the four women out of their thoughts. It was Glenn and T-Dog, having trekked unknown territory in hopes of locating Daryl and the kids. Both were wearing the same apologetic expressions the mothers feared.

Jacqui stood up at the approach of the second search party; Rick, Shane, and Dale all came back emptyhanded and frustrated.

"How much ground did ya'll cover?" she asked.

"We covered every inch we could." Rick answered. "We're pretty sure Daryl left the neighborhood, took the kids to an area where they wouldn't be exposed to walkers. That way they're all safe."

"How can you be sure they're with Daryl? Andrea asked harshly. "Come on. You left his brother handcuffed to a rooftop. Why would he want to protect Amy? Carl? Or Sophia? The man doesn't owe us anything."

Lori placed her hands on her hips. "Rick, she's right. I mean Daryl Dixon? You really trust our son's safety with him. Why would he look after all of them?"

"I can't say why, but in my heart, I know he would."

Lori opened her mouth to interject. Her husband however was quick enough to cut her words off.

"Andrea is right; we did leave Merle for dead up on that rooftop. Daryl doesn't owe anybody here anything. That man could've turned his back to us, and walked away. But he didn't. Even after Glenn was kidnapped, he remained faithful and by our side. He came back to the camp, he saved Amy; he's keeping our children safe. He's a part of the group, whether anybody likes it here or not." Rick paused for a moment. "He's not leaving them behind."

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Amy shut the bathroom door and rushed over to the shower, turning it on and running her hand under the cool water until it gradually turned warm. It felt much too long since they all left the CDC, away from the luxuries of properly bathing themselves. This was gold for Amy right now and she was going to enjoy every second of it.

Amy began to strip of the clothes that had been caked in decaying brain matter and blood. Once the last article of clothing had been removed, she hopped under the gush of warm water, allowing it to seep onto her aching muscles and dirty skin. She grabbed a bottle of shampoo and squeezed a fair amount onto her hands, massaging the foam into her scalp.

Downstairs, Sophia quietly set the table all by herself. She mainly tolerated the stuffiness in the house only to keep a good distance from Daryl, who remained out in the fresh air with Carl preparing their dinner. She found her comfort level to be inside the house. Inside the cabinet, Sophia found some well decorated bowls and plates. She knew the dishes were much too sophisticated for casual use, but what did it matter? The world ended.

In the pull out cabinets sat the silverware. Even though they'd only need forks and spoons, she went ahead and added the napkins, knives, and even a few fancy wine glasses. Sophia had grown accustom to proper table settings whenever the holidays came around. Carol had always been lenient towards her whenever it came to this. She had to admit she felt proud of herself; even more so when her dining guest came through the kitchen.

"Oh, you fancy huh?" Carl commented smiling. He placed the carrots on one vacant part of the table, then placed the green beans on another empty part of the table.

"Got some grilled meatballs wrapped in bacon. Put em' to the side?" Daryl asked, not wanting to displace the main course on the well set table. This table was far better set than the one in his own home during Thanksgiving.

"Yep." Sophia happily replied, moving out of his way.

Daryl picked the wine glass up by the stem, holding it between his fingers. "What's this Sophia? We drinkin' tonight?" he asked.

Sophia hopped up and pulled open the fridge, taking out a jug of orange juice. Carl assisted her by grabbing a few cans of soda to accompany the other beverage. "No. All we're having is juice and soda."

"Don't lie to me Phia'." He looked up at the young blonde, receiving a disapproving look. "Carl?" The sheriff's son shook his head slowly.

"God dang." He placed the glass back in its place. "Good thing we goin' Christian tonight huh?" Daryl slumped back in his seat.

Back upstairs in the shower, Amy had nearly lost herself in the time while she continued to soak away the added stress, tension in her muscles, and soak up the soothing feeling. Remembering that she wasn't the only one in the house, she was at the least considerate enough to turn off the hot water and end her brief five minutes of peace. Amy wrung a few good drops of water from her wet hair before stepping out on the large towel.

She hummed a soft tune of a song she'd long heard while toweling herself off. Brushing her damp blonde locks behind her ears, she blew at the stubborn bangs which fell into her face. Toweling off the water droplets falling down her cool skin, she immediately jumped back when she felt an unusally fuzzy sensation at the bottom of her foot. All she did was look down and...

A high pitched scream from the teenage girl erupted throughout the entire house. Daryl lost his grip on the glass of orange juice he was in the middle of drinking, shattering the delicate wine glass by his foot. "AMY!" he charged up the stairs without hesitation. Could a walker have gotten in? What if it had already gotten Amy? What would he tell Andrea? He didn't have time to answer these questions for himself. Daryl shoved his way into the bathroom to expect the worse, but confusion set in once he saw Amy, wrapped up in a short towel seated on the counter.

"What the fuck you screamin bout! Amy!" he ran over to her, trying unsucessfully to calm the young girl. "What is it?" he asked. And that was when he got her response. A shaking finger pointing by the bathtub. It was a brown recluse scampering along the edge of the tub.

Daryl squinted to get a better look, then turned to look at her. He furrowed his eyebrows. Amy whimpered in fear of the nasty little vermin, grabbing for Daryl's bicep to feel more secure. "Can you kill it? Please?" she whimpered.

Using the toe of his boot, Daryl simply crushed the spider, killing it in a matter of about half a second. Much more simple than killing a walker.

"Let me process this right quick." Daryl rubbed his hands over his face. "You got me breaking my goddamn legs, runnin' up these stairs to come get you, from a spider?"

Amy sniffled, rubbing under her eye.

"Hairy lil bastard ain't any bigger than my toe." he walked over to the crushed arachnid, pinching it off the tile floor. Amy shifted on the counter a bit, more so out of fear as to what Daryl was doing.

"Wha- What are you doing? Daryl?" Amy jumped back a bit as he took a step toward her. Every time he took one step, she'd scoot back on the countertop even further. It would only take one walker to know they were in the house, and that would be it. They were all lucky none of them heared her screaming. Daryl was going to teach her the error in her ways.

Daryl held the spider between his index and thumb fingers. "Look here lil Amy. It's a spider. The next time you scream like that, you'd best be screamin at a walker. If not, I'ma make you pray it was one. Got it?"

"Yeah. Sorry." She watched him attentively as he flicked the spider over by the tub. He began to head for the kitchen, reminding himself he shouldn''t be leaving the younger pair unattended. Daryl turned around to find Amy still stuck on the counter, eyeing the smashed spider with a great amount of fear. "Don't leave me here."

"World goes to shit, people eatin' each other, and you shakin' from a damn spider?" Daryl questioned, shaking his head. "You ain't gonna be cut out for this world lil Palmer." He watched her in silence, closing the distance between the two of them as he wrapped his arms around her petite waist, scooping her up bridal style. She's surprised at how strong he is, despite the pain flaring up in his arm. He had to stop a few times to readjust Amy from falling.

"Now don't be gettin all sweet on me now, Amy. I ain't for this "hero" shit." They made it into the bedroom, where he set her down gently on the bed. Daryl ducked his head when he felt the descomfort again.

"Oh, I...I'm not. I haven't been carried like that so I'm not really used to this damsel in distress thing as I was before." A small smile lights up on his face, not the best but its an achievement for her to see him smile.

Amy absolutely adored this smile. She tightened the towel around her body.

"Why do I always gotta save you lil Amy?"

"I'm not a fighter." Amy blushed. "Sorry,"

"You know, one day I ain't gonna be there to get you." the redneck stretched his aching arm.

"I know that. Again sorry."

"You apologize too much girl. And let that be a lesson to learn; independence." He rose up from the bed, back turned to her. "Hurry up. We got dinner downstaris waitin on ya. If you ain't descent when I get back up, I'll have no choice but to tan your lil ass with my belt." His eyes possessed a sharp yet gentle tone to show he wasn't being harsh. He stole a quick glance from her before heading on downstairs to Carl and Sophia.

Amy toweled off her damp hair a final time beofre ducking into the closet for some clothes. She flipped her hair up out of her face before throwing the towel off her body and dressing. After finding an orange t-shirt and some black sweats, she retreated down the stairs to join the small group for a well decorated dinner. Carl and Sophia's faces lit up in her company, giving her the equal amount of happiness in return.

And like a functional family on any dinner night, the kids partaked in doing the dishes together as a well oragnized group. Amy would scrub them as she had grown accustomed to in camp, Carl would rub them dry until every bit of water came off, and finally Sophia placed the clean dishes where they were needed right back in the cabinets.

After their cleaning duties were complete, it was back to the waiting game. Only it would take place upstairs now that they were all in the after hours in the night. Daryl knew he couldn't put the three of them at risk, so he led Amy, Carl, and Sophia towards the upper level of the house into the bar room.

And all he heard as...

King me.

Boredom and curiosity took him, leading the redneck to aimlessly wander around the room searching for anything in his best interest. During dinner, it became evident Daryl and Sophia were accustomed to queit dinners and get togethers; for Amy and Carl, it was odd.

"Who do you think lived here?" Amy wasn't about to give up so easily. "Newlyweds?"

"Young people. Probably had enough money to buy all this fancy junk." Daryl answered.

Carl repeatedly drummed his fingers on the checkerboard, waiting for his turn. "How can you tell?"

"Everything looks new. And expensive."

"My neighbor across the street was young, but he was older than me. He always played loud music and rode around on his motorcylce; all the neigbors hated him. But he was nice to us." Sophia shared. The conversation stole her attention away from the game.

Carl kicked his converse off his feet, chucking them onto the soft carpet. "Sweet! Did any of your friends ever get to ride on his bike?"

"No. They weren't allowed over there. Nick used to always sneak over so they could hang out."

Daryl rubbed his chin. He arched an eyebrow, meeting the younger girl's chocolate eyes. "An' who was he? Your boyfriend?"

Sophia leaped back in disgust, uncomfortably shifting under their gaze. "Gross! No way! He's my brother." She felt sadness evade herself.

For the first time, Daryl had found himself surprised, caught off guard. Carol never mentioned anything about having another child; as if the woman barely muttered a string of words. And Ed, he hardly cared enough for the child he already had; he probably wasn't concerned for other child's existance. "You have a brother?"

Sophia only nodded her head, avoiding his eyes.

Carl queitly watched Sophia's expression change drastically. It never got any easier whenever it came to talking about Nick, especially around Carol. Even with her son supposedly gone, she still packed all his belongings for their trip. All the other women in the camp queitly looked on as she carefully washed every article of Nick's clothing, so attentively. It was the only physical reminder Carol had of her son.

Not that she was acting in selflessness, Amy decided to cut the subject out. Only for Sophia's sake. "Um, not trying to be a you know, female dog, but can we switch over to a happier subject?"

"Ok." Carl nodded, taking her hint.

Daryl trailed his index finger across the DVDs neatly set up in the tall holder. It nearly met his height, only off by a few inches. The bored hunter continued to scavenge through them until his eyes landed on one of his best interest. "Well I'll be damned! They got the Boondock Saints!" Daryl chirped, pulling it out of the holder.

"What?" Amy questioned, peering at the cover. Judging by the legit smile on Daryl's face, she figured it had to be a redneck flick that only he or Merle was familiar with. "The Boondoack Sa- I've never heard of it. What's it about? Who's in it?"

Carl pushed past both the young girls. "Cool. That movie was sweet."

"You need to go to the movies more kiddo. It's bout' these two brothers bein tracked by FBI. They go round' killin bad people in their city." Daryl happily explained.

Sophia politely took the movie from Daryl's grip, studying it better. "Hey, is that Norman Reedus? He's so... cute." she finished, looking up at Daryl. Awkward. The man acting as her babysitter was identical to the man plastered on the cover.

She was right. Amy's blue eyes traced over every feature of them man on the cover. He was identical to Daryl. And he was cute. No hot. No, drop dead gorgeous. "Yeah, he is."

"I always thought I looked like him." Daryl said, placing the DVD back in its slot. "Only better lookin'."

The cooment was met by lauhgter. Now that that was out of the way, Carl and Sophia would have to go right back to distracting themselves. This meant more checkers.

"Do ya'll know any other games?" asked Daryl. He had long grown tired of hearing king me.

Sophia and Carl didn't dare bring up hide and go seek. Or tag.

"I played spades before." Amy added, crossing her legs Indian style on the carpet.

Spades? Smh. Whatever. It wouldn't hurt if they took it up a notch. Hopefully Rick, Lori, and Carol wouldn't get too upset. Andrea probably would.

"Wanna learn how to play poker?" Daryl asked, going over to the shelves where a lone stack of cards sat.

If Amy had been drinking or eating something, she'd have most likely choked. "Are you serious? You're going to teach them how to play poker?"

"What? It ain't like I'm flyin' em to Vegas and gettin an escort." Daryl sat back on the carpet, shuffling the stack.

Amy folded her arms across her chest. The look on her face was skeptical.

Daryl sighed deeply, knowing he had to forfeit. "Fine. Forget the games; how bout we just watch us some Boondock Saints?"

"How are we supposed to do that?" Amy questioned him.

She did have a valid point; they had running water but no power nonetheless. Daryl eyes scanned around the room falling on the stack of DVDs, CDs, and various electronics scattered all over the room. It was quite obvious that whomever lived in this house not only had a collection of electronics along with a hefty bill, but they were in a hurry to leave, abandoning a mass amount of equipment.

The redneck dusted off an Apple laptop left hidden under some of the other electronics and opened it up; charger was intact only meaning they had a full battery. Perfect. "Got any other questions?" he asked, turning the device on.

Amy approved, nodding sweetly once she saw Carl's excited reaction, finding quite the amusement in watching Carl and Sophia interact with Daryl. Carl had a serious look on his face and looked determined. Sophia seemed nervous, unsure of herself. They both leaned in to the hunter, patiently awaiting for the monitor to come to life before shoving the movie into the slot.

Amy sat and waited for Daryl to finish explaining the movie to her some more. Carl looked completely fascinated and his fingers were itching already. Sophia finally appeared to be growing more comfortable with both of them. Amy couldn't help but smile. It was so rare in these days to see genuine happiness, especially in the eyes of a child. Even she did not know Daryl was capable of being a good parental figure; deep down he had it in him.

He met eyes with her, making the teenager blush deeply. The butterflies ran rampant in her stomach. Daryl started the movie and something at his nose itched, making him twitch it. For whatever reason, Amy found this adorable.

"Sssh, be quite don't spoil it for her." Carl warned.

Daryl didn't plan this, he didn't know how they had reached this level of trust together. But either way, it was a step forward.

_I'd like to start off by thanking Zai, Tobeno10, Jayna Prime, PaganButterfly, Rubylips021, and Superwholocklover2993 for reviewing. Amy seemed like more of a screamer while Andrea was a fighter, so I could totally see her being spooked by a spider. And yes, Sophia has an older brother in the story. He's also a character in my other story "Life Goes On." We'll explore his background some more along with the entire Peletier family. _

_And yeah, I just had to put in the Boondock Saints reference. Apparently Daryl thinks he's cuter than Murphy. No joke, 2012, I still haven't seen the entire movie. Thank you again everyone, keep reading. A month from now, I'll be in a freshman in college. I'll try to write some more. _


	9. You Have To Run

Daryl, Amy, and the kids had watched the Boondock Saints until the three were about a few blinks away from any sleep. They ended this day where they all ended up sleeping in the corner of the couch, while Daryl remained seated in his usual position as post.

There was nothing wrong with what he wanted to do. All this waiting around was becoming intolerable, so aggitating he had broke into a small pace around the living room. Daryl was sick to death of doing nothing. All this waiting was melting away at his mind. There had been a Camaro down the street with the window pushed down far enough for him to stick his hand in; the keys remained on the dash

This however wasn't his first nightly errand he'd run. He had scowered many houses the previous two nights they'd been there, finding a few more useful items along with a couple of desert eagles. By now, it was well past the time for them to plan an escape route all together, pack up their belongings, and head to Fort Benning. The time would draw closer before they ran into everyone else; they couldn't have gone too far.

Daryl shouldered the crossbow, absolutely itching to go. He only slipped out the window when he was assured Amy had fallen back to sleep. After all, she was related to an attorney; the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree they say. Amy was just as intelligent and observant as Andrea was.

However, Carl had not completely fallen to sleep.

"Sophia. Amy." He shook both their shoulders.

Both girls sat up and yawned.

"Daryl left." Carl's voice shook with fear. "What are we going to do?"

An equally frightened Sophia wrapped her small body around Carl's; both children trembled in their state of fear and vulnerability. Carl wanted to be the one to comfort her, but he was just as scared as she was.

Looking outside the windows would be absolutely pointless. It was way too dark to see anything, hardly even your own hand before your face.

"He'll come back. I know he will." Amy confidently stated.

Right as she led Carl and Sophia downstairs to the door, they passed by the kitchen, all racing towards the drawers, pulling out the contents of them. Amy took out a meat cleaver, as Carl possessed a chef's knife, and Sophia handled a boning knife.

If there was any potential danger lurking nearby, they'd at least have to be prepared for the worst.

"We have to make sure he can get in." Amy firmly grasped her weapon in her hand, while she held a lit candle in the other.

The walkers were more active at night but they did not have enough brainpower to thoroughly scan the darkness that Daryl did as he rabbited around the cars and through other backyards.

Carl held his knife firmly in his hand until his knuckles were turning white, hand shaking to where he couldn't control it.

Daryl had gotten to the entrance of the cul-de-sac. There was a mess of abandoned vehicles, but none of them was the one he'd had his eye. Keys. He rummaged through his pockets, all he had was a lighter. The keys had been on the dashboard where they last remained, meaning someone spotted them and took off. Unbearable anger boiled inside him. He took it out on a mustang with a kick to the driver's side.

"Fuck!" he cursed angrily.

The knife lay on the wooden floor, the gleam of its blade shone from the moonlight. It slipped once Carl lost his grip due to the walkers popping up out of nowhere.

They snapped out of their moment of fear and raced into the darkness without even thinking of where to go, but away from whatever was coming in. The intruding walkers followed suit in a hungered daze.

On his walk back, Daryl tried to carefully plan his entrance back into the house before he got there. Maybe he'd be able to squeeze through the windows after he hopped the fence to the backyard.

_Gggrrr_

He heard in a chilling and hair rising distance behind him. Daryl swiftly hid behind a busted out squad car, putting distance between himself and whatever growled at him through the deadly darkness. The fruitlessness of this mission only further pissed him off along with the futile attempt to retrieve the car. It was also that he had unnecessarily endangered his life, but three other defenseless ones as well.

After he was done counting eleven ugly rotting mugs limping around, he executed his next move. With far less walkers than he anticipated, he didn't have to go undetected without worrying he'd be spotted.

Either way, he had to get back to Amy and the kids before it was too late.

Carl pushed in first. Sophia was pulled into the unlocked vehicle after him. And finally Amy entered last, assuring the younger ones were safe before herself. She cringed as the door slammed shut just before the walkers poured into the garage.

Sophia covered her mouth to keep from screaming out at instinct. In the darkness, they could hear the groans, the dragging of feet faded away as the undead shuffled around them.

Crossbow ready, Daryl cautiously approached. His eyes fell upon what had attracted the walkers; the knife laying right beside the door.

No signs of life were evident.

The only sign of movement was in a single walker standing by the door, neck crooked off to the side. It didn't take anymore than a second. Aim. Fire. A lone arrow shot clean into the walker's skull, sending the lifeless monster falling into a bloody heap onto the lit candle.

Had they all left?

The windows and backdoor remained shut which only meant they never left.

Their names were on the tip of his tongue, but he knew from past experience himself that it only took one walker to close in on your location.

They were unsure if it was safe enough to leave their hiding spot, but unbeknownst to them Daryl was looking for them. The footsteps died down around them, slowly but surely giving them some form of comfort. Amy, Carl, and Sophia quietly pulled themselves out of the small closet, thinking the walkers were all gone. Not all of them were.

Daryl traced the light over the place. The beam hit a trio of walkers who responded with vicious and unpleasant growls from their rotting teeth. Behind the walkers, Daryl saw the best sight; Amy and the kids' faces just as they exited the vehicle.

Good news, they were safe. Bad news, he was now blocked off by the group of corpses closing in on him. Three more walkers came out from the garage.

"Shit!" he yelled out. This required quick thinking. He didn't have enough arrows to take them all out. The knife wouldn't even be a considerable option.

Keys.

A set hung up on the key rack, belonging to a Toyota corolla. Ones to replace the ones to the now absent Camaro he had relied on to get them out. He had those keys in his hand.

"Catch!" He tossed the keys above the approaching walkers, only for Carl to catch them. "Start the car! Now!"

Daryl leaned towards his final option.

Just when Carl turned the keys in the ignition, bringing the vehicle to life, the three of them heard gunshots ring out in the air. When the final shot rang out for them to hear, they all feared the worst had happened. The fear was short lived; Daryl came through the door shortly after the final shot cleared out.

There were four walkers advancing towards the car. Without a doubt, more would pour in from the streets now that they heard the shots.

Amy passed down the backpack of supplies now that they were abandoning their once safe haven. Sophia jumped into the passenger seat only after Daryl took her place up in the back. Amy and Sophia buckled themselves in before the car could even move.

"Floor it!" Daryl snapped his fingers. Carl held onto the steering wheel so tight the palms of his hands were engraved with the ridged pattern of the wheel. He was only twelve. How did Daryl expect him to operate this car?

But it didn't matter. The walkers in the garage were already banging on the sides of the car, trying to bust their way into the glass. They were running out of time.

"Carl punch it!" Daryl yelled, looking between the scared youngster and the decomposed faces on the other side of the glass.

She could tell this only made him more nervous. His fingers shook even harder as seconds ticked by. He would need to be guided through this properly. Amy leaned forward so Carl would hear through calm instructions.

"Carl, listen to me. You have to get the car moving, but you cannot panic." This had always been her uncle Derek's ground rule when it came to driving. "Gently put your foot on the right pedal."

And Carl did as he was told; the part about being gentle on the gas pedal didn't work out the way he intended.

The Corolla shot through the garage door and skidded across the rock wall, leaving a large gash. The car jerked repeatedly as Carl slowly got the hang of handling a great amount of power at one time. By the time they had reached the street, the Corolla did a burnout pulling out of the driveway and down the neighborhood.

As soon as they were put into danger, they had been pulled out of it and eventually Carl lay off the gas of course with a bit of instruction.

"You left," Amy breathed wildly, blowing a few strands of hair out of her face. It was the sweet and gentle demeanor that made it less of an attack or accusation.

"I just went to see if this car was still down the street; figured we'd leave that way. I was gonna come back and get ya'll."

Sophia shot off a skeptical look as well. It was met with timidness, making her question sit in her throat.

"Come on, I can't get back to the group without ya," He explained, "One thing's for sure, I'll never abandon any of you. I promise ya'll that."

"You mean that?" Carl added.

"Like I said before. I promise." Daryl added, "It'd be more painful to show up without ya than to run into a load of geeks."

On that note, there was something else Daryl needed to add onto that.

"We're going to find your parents."

"And sister." Amy cheerfully piped in.

"And sister."

The little bit of reassurance stretched on a ways longer than Sophia had anticipated. She finally broke her silence. "Pinky promise?" she leaned closer to the redneck, holding out her pinky to him.

He crinkled his eyebrows in confusion, before slowly holding his pinky out to the much younger girl. He shook his head once their pinkies hooked to one another.

"Good lord. What am I? Eight?" Daryl questioned.

The smallest bit of assurance it was, but it carried on with them for a good length of time throughout the night.

X

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Dawn had reached its peak on the opposite side of the larger group of survivors, now broken up because of their missing members.

On the road again in hopes of running into Daryl and the kids, Dale had them all en route towards the highway leading up to Fort Benning. It would be quite the distance since the trip had just begun as soon as everyone had awoke in the mid-morning heat.

"Are you sure we covered as much ground as possible back there? I feel like we missed something." Lori asked.

"Positive. There wasn't even as little as a trail to give off a hint they were close." Glenn responded.

"Dude musta took em' off the grid. I'm tellin' ya." T-Dog added more bullets to his gun.

Lori remained hopeful in her husband that his words said earlier had been true. No matter how hasty or poorly thought out his plan was, she still stood behind him with every ounce of trust.

Carol still felt numb due to the loss of her young daughter, unable to block out the worst case scenario on what may have happened. She'd already gone through the emotional toll of grief now that her son was gone as well. Nick's fate however was never declared, whether he was dead, alive, or a part of the undead.

And Andrea, she felt a slew of emotions taunt her. Guilt, anger, grief, sadness. All of them took their turns eating away at her as she slowly felt herself die along with the world; it might as well go to shit without her sister.

"Dale!" Rick pressed down on his hat, losing a bit of caution to anxiety. The others leaped up from his unexpected scream.

Traveling at full speed, a bloodied up police van raged on towards the nose of the RV. The drivers on both ends would be unfortunate; with the added amount of acceleration even the brakes of both vehicles wouldn't prevent the collision from occurring.

Dale froze at the wheel, gripping it tighter as his whole body was taken over by shock. He felt powerless in his position and could only brace himself for impact, hoping that somehow everybody else would do the same.

The individual driving the van prevented the wreck from happening; at the last minute, they turned the wheel much too sharp, jerking the van. Rick and the others watched with fear and relief as the van flew head on into some marshland by the road.

Acting on first instinct, Dale, Rick, and Glenn shot up from their positions flying out of the RV one by one. Rick broke into a light jog heading over to the wreckage before them.

"Rick!" Lori fearfully poked her head out of the door.

"Get back." He quietly instructed, inching closer to the police van. By now, Shane had jumped out of the Winnebago, gun drawn and stood beside his friend and partner. Both men readied themselves.

"I'm officer Rick Grimes. This is my partner Shane Walsh. We're here to help. Is anybody hurt?" he carefully stated, taking another step. Still no response or movement within the vehicle.

"I repeat, my name is Rick Grimes and this is Shane Walsh. We're police officers. Is anybody hurt?"

Still no response. Both men expected at the least for a response, maybe a small hint of life. They were very much surprised when the back door flew open and a gunshot rang out, going straight into the RV's window.

"Shit! Get down!" Shane yelled, racing to find cover.

Possessing their weapons, both officers crouched behind the front of the RV as the gunshots continued to ring out.

"This motherfucker…" Shane angrily hissed, cocking his gun.

Rick turned his head to Shane, trying to prevent him from doing anything stupid. "No no. Do not shoot. Whoever it is, they're probably scared."

"Scared enough to pull the fucking trigger?!"

"There doing the same as we are; protecting they're people. We need to handle this with tact. If we shoot back, it'll become a war zone and the others will be caught in the middle." Rick flinched when another shot hit the street.

"Fuck tact!" Shane yelled. Once the shots stalled for a brief moment, the dark-haired cop emerged from behind his cover and let out a mass of bullets.

"Shane!"

X

X

X

Daryl quietly awoke under the sun's dull glare burning into his ocean blue orbs. He squinted painfully as the rays filled his sight even more, blocking them off with the palm of his hand.

Shortly after Carl's driving had smoothened out, safe to say he had fallen victim to the sleep which racked his body. The exhausted redneck wordlessly adjusted his body feeling all his muscles shift back into the proper place.

That was when he felt an unusual amount of weight resting on his right shoulder, excessive weight which hadn't been there the previous night. His gaze trailed over until it stopped now that his eyes lay onto the blanket of blonde hair cascading down his arm.

Amy had also grown exhausted in the late hours of their car ride, taking advantage of the opportunity to gain a few hours of sleep before morning crept up on them.

Her head lay rested on Daryl's shoulder, sound asleep. Amy had always seemed nice, but kindness didn't mean crap now a days and Daryl had always been taught to associate kindness with weakness.

He glanced at the beautiful blonde about the thousandth time since he snapped at her. He wasn't used to feeling guilty for his bouts of anger.

Anger had always been how his family dealt with everything growing up. Merle used to beat the crap out of him on a whim, either because he felt like it or because Daryl had had the temerity to speak up about something. His father hadn't even needed a reason.

This was different though. He had lashed out of habit, but rather than get angry as most people did. Amy seemed hurt. She hadn't broken down crying, but she'd gotten quiet and retreated from him.

He felt her stir slowly. He soon realized he screwed up when he felt her jerk away from him soon as she met his glance. She hadn't been trying to hurt him; she had come close to breaking through an emotional barrier he'd set up. A part of him so raw he couldn't face it himself, let alone see it.

"I'm sorry." She blushed, putting more distance between them.

"_Don't be It ain't your fault."_ This was something he kept to himself in his thoughts. Although an apology was on the tip of his tongue, he stubbornly fought against it.

"You awake?" he asked. In response, he got a quick nod from her. "Good. You may have to take over from here."

Daryl still felt bad, for not apologizing immediately. If he kept avoiding it the way he was, then it would eat at him forever. Without a doubt, he had to make things right with Amy.

And to add onto his guilty conscience, there was another thing he couldn't help. As time went on, he couldn't continue to lie to himself any longer. Having her curled up beside him, he found that he actually enjoyed it. Having someone show him the way she cared did make him feel happy, and even less lonely.


	10. New Allies, Same Old Danger

"Shane!" Rick yelled at the top of his lungs. He could only watch feeling helpless and defeated as Shane began to empty his shotgun barrel in a fit of rage. He fired round after round, cocking the gun with little to no effort.

Even after the gun shots coming from the opposing end died down, he still fired off rounds. "YOU WANT SOME OF THIS! WELL GOOD GODDAMN COME AND GET IT!" he roared, shoving a shell into his weapon of choice.

The final bullet pierced the windshield. "Stop! Don't shoot anymore! Just give it up!" a deep voice ordered.

"Hell no! You saw them! They tried to blast us away. We'd be dead if-" a much younger voice pierced the still air around both the groups.

"We wouldn't have to go through with this if you hadn't pulled the trigger in the first place! Toss your gun out!"

"But I…"

"Do it now, Blake!"

Inside the safety of the Winnebago, Lori, Carol, Dale and the others leaned forward out of their seats, some in fear while others out of curiosity. They all managed to sigh a breath of relief once the pistol was tossed out of the van and onto the grass.

Shane brought his shotgun up to eye level, preparing to give out another hail of bullets. "Shane! They've given up. Back down."

Shane didn't listen, he just held his gun in the same position. His finger lingered on the trigger - only with enough force on it was all it took to send off another bullet.

"Shane! I said back down!"

Still, the man refused to listen.

"Dammit Rick. You've said some crazy shit, made some stupid decisions that have cost us our safety. Our people," Shane ingored his partner's please, this time raised the gun surely hoping to make it. "I can't let you make that decision again. We can't afford to lose anybody else. I can't afford to lose _her_."

This left Rick with only one good choice. Raising his own weapon above his head, he brought it down onto Shane's head with an intense amount of impact, at first stunning then rendering his partner unconcoius only temporarily. As much as he didn't want to resort to this, it was the only choice he had left optionable.

"You're alright. He's out cold. I want you all to exit the van with your hands raised above your head!" Rick carefully instructed stepping from behind the RV with caution. "Let me see your hands."

It turned out they didn't have to wait longer than anticipated for the survivors to begin pouring out. First to appear was a man who appeared late in his forties, African-American, well built, very muscular, and wearing a gentle looking demeanor. He looked as if it would take him little to no effort to take on a group of walkers by himself.

Following him were a couple of young African-American girls, no older than eighteen as they appeared. One was light-skinned, and had hair running down her back, but kept it restrained in a ponytail. The other had a darker skin tone and kept her hair at shoulder length.

So far, their group seemed like a group of friendlys, most likely typical civilians in their past lives.

However, the next two changed their opinion otherwise. Two boys jumped out next - one a tall well built Caucasian with an up-to-date shaved brunette head. He had subtle on his chin, looking like the rugged bad boy most girls lusted after. Although his chocolate brown eyes seemed inviting and friendly, his jumpsuit marked that he wasn't as innocent as he appeared. The other was African-American, also well built but with an unidentifyable tattoo marring the skin on his neck. He had a medium toned skin complexion matching his hazel eyes. They both possessed the obnoxious orange jumpsuits only seen behind the door of a jailhouse.

It now became too obvious on how they chose their selection in an escape vehicle.

Following after them were a pair of children who came stumbling out cautiosly - a boy and a girl. The boy was small and frail possibly due to his age or the fact that he may not have eaten in the past few days - judging by his small still-growing frame, he had to be no older than ten. He had dark hair that nearly covered his eyes. The girl on the other hand towered over him by a few inches, indicating that she had to be around Carl or Sophia's age. Accompanying her blonde hair were her frightened chocolate eyes scanning the group.

Along with them was another young woman possessing long blonde hair with a petite figure; a small coat of freckles lingered on her face. She appeared to be in her teens judging by the amount of cleavage that was visible and the light pink polish that had already began peeling off her nails.

Along with her came out a Hispanic man, a guard judging on his grey uniform.

And finally another Caucasian male possessing a lanky figure and thick-framed glasses exited the van last. Unlike the pair of male inmates having already been presented, he didn't have much as muscle as did the other two boys. Instead, this boy was lean looking more like he didn't put much energy into going to the gym as many other boys his age. He had dark hair.

"Are all your people unarmed?" Rick questioned in a more serious tone, standing his ground with his gun.

"Yes," the man answered calmly trying to indicate he was surrendering. With his mature and focused demeanor, it was evident his role in the group was that of a leader and elder. "No one here has a gun. Not anymore. We way past that; let's just be cool. You Rick Grimes, right?"

"Correct."

"I'm Tyrese," he placed a strong hand on his chest as it rose and fell, "These here are my daughters, Julie and Jocelyn."

"JoJo daddy." The short-haired youngster whispered.

"Girl that ain't important right now." Tyrese retrieved the silver glock lying in the damp grass. "You," he then directed his attention to Blake, the white inmate, "You could've gotten us killed. I done told you then, and I'ma tell you once more after I kick-"

"Stop it!" the blonde haired girl, Madison, intervened lightly gripping Blake's arm in defense. "He was only trying to keep us safe. For all we know, it could've been like more of those thugs who raided our camp."

"But it wasn't. I done told you Blake. You going back in those cuffs."

"No!" Madison argued, tightening her grip around Blake's bicep.

One thing was for certain now. The individuals inside of the police van were not a threat, in fact, they were their own band of survivors like Rick and his group.

Relief begin to set in once Tyrese secured Blake and Kyndall, the other inmate each in a pair of handcuffs. He then led both boys onto the bus where Glenn and T-Dog acted as lookouts; only after they hauled the-still-unconscious Shane into the RV

Among the group, the quietest were the two children, Jamie and Billy. Shortly after they had witnessed their mother allow herself to be devoured by walkers after she was bitten, they wandered the streets for countless days and nights until they reached the safe haven of their new group. Despite the loss she was enduring, Andrea helped Dale offer the two of them some food and water to make them feel more settled.

Carol, Jacqui, and Lori brought out a bag filled up with a hearty helping of food and drinks. Lori and Carol's maternal instincts overpowered how unsure they had felt about the group of people - a feeling they both were long without since they had been seperated from Carl and Sophia.

This dangerous little encounter moved from deadly to somewhat welcoming. It was odd, yet it still felt comforting. With more people to add on from where they stood since the attack on the encampment, they now had a better chance with playing defenses against any walkers - that was the benefit. But the two bad things about it was they now had more mouths to feed. And lastly, who could be trusted?

"Fort Benning? Do you mind me asking why ya'll are looking to go so far up?" Tyrese questioned, tossing a backpack over his enormous shoulder.

"It's supposed to be safe; we may have a better chance than where we're standing." Rick explained. "We were going to to start making our way up there, but our plans changed."

"You lost some people?"

"We got seperated from them. We were grabbing some supplies in a deserted town when a herd of walkers came crossing through. There were too many of them; nobody could take the risk to be seen. My son, Carol's daughter, Andrea's sister, and another man Daryl were chased off into a wooded area by a mass of them. By the time it was safe to go down there, they were long gone."

Madison almost forgot, but it had crossed her mind that not all of her group members were present. "Wait, what about the other boy? The one that was with Blake, Kyndall, and Juan."

"Huh? There's another boy in the van?" Carol asked.

"Yeah, he said he came from Atlanta. But this was before he was locked up. He's a kid, around the same age as my girls, fifteen." Tyrese explained to her, wavering off towards the police van. "He's a little banged up though."

"He bit?" T-Dog asked.

"No, he got cut by one of the guards," Tyrese flung open the second door to the van. "Come on. We found others; they're here to help." He spoke calmly to the young man concealed behind the doors.

"Help me out," a gruff voice said.

With little to no effort, Tyrese reached over and pulled the teenage inmate out of the van as gently as he could, hoping not to cause the boy more pain. The kid hissed in pain as he allowed his body to be carried over across the street and towards the group.

The more they inched up, the easier it became to study the kid's facial features. To most he was a stranger, someone they had never known before. But in the eyes of one person, it was a face they had long seen.

"Oh my God,"

X

X

X

"Aren't you going to put on a seatbelt?" asked Carl.

Amy pulled away from the wheel and reached over her shoulder inconspicuously. The small click of the buckle gave her away much too easily.

"He's got a point you know. We should always take safety precautions." Amy added, making a soft turn.

Daryl chuckled under his breath. "Well ain't ya'll children of the law." He responded.

"Weren't you?" Sophia asked.

"Nope, I'm a hardened criminal. And don't gripe bout' me; we're only doin' twenty-five. Last time I checked, you ain't had your safety device on lil Amy."

"It's on now."

"Wasn't before."

"Do you see it on me now?" she sarcastically shot back, with a smirk playing at the corner of her lips. "Still, even if we're not going too fast you can never be sure. And don't try to use it as an excuse."

The redneck sighed in defeat, locking eyes with the sheriff's boy and the attorney's sister. He knew then they both wouldn't let it go.

"There," he slid on the seatbelt, "Ya happy now?"

"Yeah," Amy, Carl, and Sophia's combined voices mixed together.

They all cruised throughout the town for a while, looking for interstates to lead them back onto the freeway leading straight towards Fort Benning. It wasn't guaranteed to work, but it was their safest chance they'd have on running into the others.

Daryl was certain this was the safest route, practically looping them around the walkers beside through them. But all bets were off, only because they wouldn't always be safe. Just as Amy glanced down for a split second, the vehicle collided head on into the decaying body of a single walker crossing the road.

Combined with the amount of impact from the body and the added amount of speed, the wheels of the car took them off the road and right onto the grass. And in a matter of seconds, the world around them flipped upside down. The unbearable sounds of glass and metal shattering drowned out any screams.

Luckily for Amy, she didn't black out. The teenager found she was in a state of shock, but at least she was conscious.

"Daryl? Carl? Sophia?" Amy breathed deeply in a panic.

"I'm ok." Carl answered quickly enough.

"Me too." Sophia rubbed her scraped elbow.

Daryl winced from the newly added pain developing in his upper back. "Don't get your panties in a bunch, I'm fine." He gruffly retorted, with of course his added sense of humor.

Judging by the noise made, they were lucky to have not attracted any unwanted attention from any neighboring walkers nearby. Once everybody crawled out of the debris, Daryl shifted into his protective instincts, examining Amy and the children for any serious injuries; he was already shining the flashlight for any damage.

The kids all reacted in fear once a low groan was heard, coming from the walker splattered along the street. Sophia ducked behind Amy out of the instinct to feel protected. Calm and casual as if it were a stroll in the park, Daryl calmly stomped over to the geek as it hissed through its rotting teeth; it helplessly clawed at Daryl's boot.

"Guess ya shoulda learned to look both ways fore' crossin' the street," he swung the crossbow off his shoulder. With a simple pull on the trigger, an arrow shot right into the decomposed socket of the geek. "Dumbass." The redneck muttered.

Carl brushed away the new dirt which sat on his kneecaps. "Aren't you glad you wore a seatbelt?"

It turned out they didn't have to wait long for the sun to be fully visible up above in the sky. The brighter it got, the less inclined Daryl felt about letting the kids stop for a rest. They may as well cover as much ground as possible while the sun was up.

The detour they took to avoid and navigate around walkers was beginning to wear them all ragged, but they all kept at it without as much as a complaint. At least Daryl did. The longer they walked, the more Carl and Sophia began to lag behind. Amy however was the worst one - she trailed right behind on Sophia's heels barely keeping up. And she was supposed to be the older one setting an example.

The very first time Daryl felt like saying something to Amy, it was back at the camp when she was picking mushrooms and failing horribly at it. He'd never considered thinking one could fail at picking mushrooms. But then again she looked like a city person. They didn't know how to pick anything other than their own goddamn noses.

"Pick up the pace." Daryl called out to all of them, while he stopped to wait for them to catch up.

"He sounds like my old gym teacher." said Carl, "Mrs. He-She."

"What?" Sophia asked giggling lightly.

"Her name was Mrs. Lahey. She looked like a girl, but she had a very deep voice." explained Carl lowering his to mimic. "And big hairy arms and legs."

That was one thing she liked about Carl. No matter what the situation was, no matter how bad things were he always found something fun to talk about in hopes of lightening up the mood while Sophia only spoke about the new world around them and all she feared: walkers, never seeing her mother and brother, the dark, being seperated from the group, Daryl, her father.

These were on her latest list of fears. Daryl slipped further down the list after their enjoyable card game in the townhouse. It had actually become possible to believe that Daryl wasn't such a bad guy, maybe he was nicer than he let on. All he needed was a friend.

"What's so funny?" the sweaty redneck angrily questioned, catching their smirks as they came closer into view. He figured if they had time and energy, it'd be better off it they put all that into moving on and not kidding around. Carl quickly concealed his smile, fighting to keep from laughing out before Daryl. Sophia on the other had flinched, looking down at her sneakers while she wordless gave him a response.

On second thought Daryl was still somewhat scary.

"Do ya need a break?" asked Daryl when Amy finally caught up with the remaining of them. It was the start of a new morning, and they were already falling behind.

"I'm hungry." Carl added.

Sophia's eyes lit up, only delivering the same message.

Daryl just about did an are-you-fucking-kidding-me face palm. Didn't they learn anything at all in the past day?

One thing was for certain - taking a minute to collect themselves on the current path they were on wasn't wise at all. If walkers were to come along the kids wouldn't stand much of a chance getting away in their conditions.

A rooftop would be great. Something that was higher off the ground perhaps. There would be a little to no chance of running into any geeks and he could scan the area better.

"So much for a break." Carl mumbled as Daryl continued on further, seemingly haven forgotten about a break or breakfast.

Sophia shrugged tiredly in defeat, not allowing herself to fall too far behind from Daryl. What other option did they have?

Amy carried on with the same hint of defeat evident on her face. It felt as if a hard rock dropped in her stomach. All she could do was flick back her sweaty hair out of her face and suck up the pain from her aching feet. Every now and then she would catch Daryl's silent stare aimed at her as he maintained his position in the front. It only became even more obvious as he continued to glance back only to catch her eyes as well.

While walking alongside a playground scattered with various toys, it was very queit. Just the sounds of feet stepping on the ground. No walkers, no humans, no animals. Nothing.

As Amy walked more she felt her stomach start to growl. _"Ah fuck."_ She thought. If she was getting hungry, then she wouldn't be able to keep up much of her strength and that would prove to be fatal. She fiddled through the open pockets of the backpack but only found an empty granola bar wrapper. Tossing it to the ground frustrated, she tried not to focus on her empty stomach screaming at her. Maybe the hunger would go away once the stomach realized it wasn't getting any food soon. But then again that's not how the human body works. Even if the world goes to shit, you still need food, you still need water, and you still need to sleep. That's just how unfair Death was.

Louder this time her stomach roared and it caught the attention of Carl. He looked at Amy and she just smiled and waved it off with her hand.

"Amy are you alright? If you're hungry you need to eat something." Carl questioned walking alongside the older girl.

"Yes, I'll be fine. I'm not that hungry." She tried to reason but another loud cry from her stomach didn't have Carl convinced. "Besides, it's not like we can stop at McDonald's and get a Fillet-o-Fish to go. I'm fine."

Everyone had stopped and she only wanted to punch herself for causing this much of a commotion all because she was hungry.

"Here," Daryl's gruff voice came. She looked up to see an orange be tossed at her. With both vacant hands, she caught it and saw Daryl looking down at her. "Eat it. We don't need ya out here fainting and shit. If ya hungry, that ain't your fault. But if you pass out from bein' stubborn then that is on ya. And when that happens, Carl and Sophia will be the ones to carry ya."

The both of them looked rather amused, like they were on the same page with Daryl's supposed joke. But he wasn' smiling.

"I wasn't kiddin around." he replied. And with a snarky remark as solid as that, he turned right back around and continued marching along the path ahead of them.

Amy felt somewhat crushed; it wasn't what Daryl said but the way he said it. She knew he was right and was only looking out for her best interests. In a strange way he did indeed care; he didn't forget to pass out nature valley bars to Carl and Sophia. She peeled the orange, throwing the outer cover off and took a bite of the juicy fruit. It was delicious.

They walked on, passing underneath a short tunnel as they carried onto a road neighboring a grassy area. Once they reached the other side, the sun burned into Amy's eyes. She heard somewhat of a sqeauk from the body ahead of her once they softly collided.

"Sorry." Sophia responded quickly once Amy's orange peel fell on her sneaker. "I think we just stopped."

Up ahead Daryl silently cursed to himself while he stood right in the middle of the road. Ahead of it was surrounded by trees, bushes, and it screamed walker trap. "Damn it..." he muttered to himself.

On the other hand, they were standing beside a gate shielding them from a shopping outlet, one with hardly any vehicles in its parking lot. All around the perimiter was stone wall, meaning it would be highly impossible for anything to get in as easy as it would to get out. It was perfect. The trick was you had to climb over the stone wall which sat under the gate; and once you did you'd have to climb over the fence once that was done.

They were faced with two options. Walk through the forrest or climb the gate so they could at least be pulled out of danger.

"We'll climb up here," Daryl shouldered the crossbow and grabbed a hold of the gate. "I'll push you up, you pull yourselves up while I do it.

Sophia climbed up first. She had an easier time since she had few extra inches added making it quicker for her to reach the top of the fence and jump down on the other side. Then Carl, who faced a more difficult time mainly because he struggled to climb over the fence. Amy tossed the backpack of supplies over her head and above the gate.

She climbed up beside Daryl. He had more luck on his side with the aid of his upper body strength keeping him from slipping. "Ya got it?" he asked looking down at her. Amy fought not to struggle against the gate, only because she wanted to reach her own independence and prove she was mature enough to handle self-reliance and responsibility.

Amy was almost up towards the top when Daryl managed to climb over. She lost her grip on the wall; she would've fallen had Daryl not stuck his hands through the gate to catch her foot. He instinctively held her there.

"I can do it," Amy protested.

Daryl respected her wishes and didn't try to help her, which was hard while he kept thinking. _"She's gonna fall. She's gonna fall. She's gonna fall goddamn it."_

Amy made it up the wall, much less without Daryl's help. She felt proud and excited.

However she had to calculate her next move and quick when a walker in a security guards uniform started snapping at her from the side she was still on. She managed to get both feet planted onto the stone wall with both of them still close by the clutches of the walker. Reaching up, it got a firm grip on her converse fighting to pull her back to the ground.

The teen struggled wildly, shaking her leg as best she could to loosen the geek's grip. Eventually, Amy lost her cool and with all her might kicked it in the face hard enough it lost its grip. Jumping down from the wall much too quickly, Amy lost her footing and fell towards the hard asphalt below her. Instead of meeting an unpleasant impact from the ground, Daryl reacted in time before she hit the ground. The force of her body falling sent them both to the ground with Daryl laying on his back, Amy ended up lying on top of him.

It was awkward in the position Amy and Daryl were in, with her breast pushed into his chest and their lips inches away from one another. They immediately corrected themselves as the blush grew darker on their faces.

"Shi- I was, I... I'm sorry." Amy stumbled out on her words.

Daryl kept his eyes fixed away from her as much as he could, mainly out of embarassment. He even trained his sights away from Carl and Sophia.

The roof was slightly slanted, they sat back under a tier, out of the sun. Breakfast consisted of apples, cereal bars, and gatorade. No way they could possibily get sick from this? He wordlessly offered up a granola bar to Carl. "Are you going to try and poison me again?" Carl smiled with a mouth full of apple.

"Shut up brat," he took a light swipe at her head, which Carl dodged. "Boy you know you're always got somethin' funny to say."

"Well you know you're always being mean."

"Don't care."

"Don't you ever care?" Carl questioned.

"Nope." Daryl's response was sharp and quick.

"Maybe you need a hug."

"You best not touch me."

"Who said I was going to hug you?"

_"Damn kid. How long I gotta put up with this shit?"_

While they rested up, Daryl scoped the grounds below them using the scope on the crossbow looking out along the roads ahead of them as well as the ground below them.

"Not much out there. A few walkers hanging out in the Tropical Smoothie parking lot across the street. We can avoid em easily."

Carl blocked the sun out with his arm and squinted.

"Here, have a look." Daryl passed him the crossbow.

Once Carl got used to the weight, he pointed it directly at the large mulit-colored logo hanging beside the letters. He counted up a total of twelve walkers, much more than he would've expected from the term few. A few normally meant less than five; this was a horde of geeks.

"We'll keep on this road a little longer, instead of going up by that overpass. We hook to the left of it and circle around. We'll completely dodge them." Daryl said with a strong hint of confidence.

"How do you know the Interstate is over there?" Amy asked.

"Cause of all the fast food places clustered together. There's gotta be an exit somewhere close by."

Curiosity burning in her core, Amy peered down at the grounds below them. The enviroment was well spaced out and there looked to not be a walker anywhere in the vicinity. According to Daryl, the neighboring walkers were standing on the opposite side of the street, posing little to no threat since the rotting corpses were unaware they were nearby. Plus, the outlet was gated off meaning it had to be secure.

"Hey. You guys want to go to the mall?" Amy asked them.

X

X

X

The familiar sound of voice filled his ears, a voice he never thought he'd hear again way longer since the dead began to walk. He lifted his head up to confirm his deepest hopes as he allowed the voice to guide him.

"Holy shit." The wounded teenager said through labored breathing.

Carol cupped her delicate hands over her mouth, before the sobs began to pour out. "Nick," her feet took over her body, further dragging her away from the members of her camp and closer to a loved one she had long laid eyes on for the longest. "Nick!" Carol joyfully screamed.

Both mother and son had finally been reunited.

Despite the pain shooting into his body, Nick allowed himself to fall further behind from Tyrese as he raced over to Carol. "Mom! Mom!" his feet suddenly felt less heavier, making it easier for him to rush up and embrace his mother. Back before the outbreak, before the world had gone to shit Nick hadn't always been the easiest child to deal with. Then it had always been about girls, parties, drugs, and skipping school.

Although he wasn't always the best son or student, he was an amazing older brother.

"You scared the shit out of me mom." Nick sniffed heavily, fighting back the flow of tears. His response earning him an even tighter embrace than before. "I'm sorry... for everything I did. I should've never done those things, I'm so sorry."

"It's alright honey. I'm not mad I promise. I'm just glad you're safe."

"Uh, Sophia! Sophia!" Nick pulled away from Carol, desperately searching around for his sister. In his moment of excitement of being reunited with his loved ones, he failed to notice the others pained expressions as he carried on searching and calling out to Sophia. "She's got to be here. Sophia!"

His feet carried him farther along the road, looking all around him. It didn't make any sense. She would've been out there by now hugging him too. Nick quickly turned to the sound of dry grass crunching under someone's shoe. It was Rick and judging by his sorrow demeanor something was wrong. Horribly wrong. "Nick, I'm afraid I have some bad news to tell you."

Fifteen-year-old Nick Peletier's life seemed to finally have made turn for the better. He had managed to survive for a large number of days in and from the prison. He had finally been reunited with his mother, but his father and sister were nowhere to be found and here he had some man giving him the look of troubled giref.

"My dad. Is he dead?" Nick queitly asked.

"Yes. There was an attack on our camp. He had already been dead by the time we had come back from the city. I'm so sorry."

Nick released a quick bout of laughter, shaking his head. "Don't be. That's the best news I've heard in a long time," he paused for a minute before looking back into Rick's eyes. "What about Sophia?" his attitude changed instantly now that the subject switched over to his sister. His eyes held back tears yet were filled hope. Making it harder on both sides.

"There's a chance she may be alive. We'll never know unless we find her."

"You mean _when_ we find her."

**Hello my amazing fans! Beachbunnyluvsu here glad to update a new chapter. Hope you all had a good Labor Day weekend cause I spent mine at home with my amazing family. Let me begin by thanking PirateJessiewaby, JaynaPrime, Tobeno10, Zaii, and 6747. I have added Tyrese into my story because he played a significant role in the comics, so that's why he's here along with Julie and Chris. JoJo is a character I created myself; she can also be read about in my other story Life Goes On. As you've seen in previous chapters, Nick is also a character I created. He's Sophia's older brother and Ed and Carol's oldest child; he's also in Life Goes On. You'll learn more about him and all the others as the story progresses.**


	11. Fear The Living Not The Dead

"Carl!" Daryl yelled out at the sheriff's boy who stood only a few feet away from him in the neighboring Subway.

The boy had completely disregarded any mannerisms his parents had taught him as he had his head titled to where the root beer from the machine was squirting into his mouth. The youngster jerked backed immediately once he heard his name called out, causing him to bite his tongue.

"The world did go to shit and all," the redneck grabbed a cup and top from the dispenser and slammed them on the counter, "But boy you ain't gotta to lose your damn manners." he growled out. Aggitated, Daryl groaned loudly while he stomped away in a huff.

Where was a store which contained liquor when he needed it the most? His taste for alcohol only strengthened once he heard Carl _and _even Sophia burst out into a fit of giggles to which he couldn't stop.

"What's so damn funny?" Daryl growled.

Sophia lightly giggled to herself, "Nothing."

Going along with Amy's wishes to take what she called "a quick peek" into the mall, they'd ended up at an indoor shopping mall and would continue from there onto the original path since it was still light out. It was an opportunity for the three to catch a break but enough for the hunter to lose his grip on his mental state.

Carl had been itching to venture out in foreign territory now that it was declared a walker-free zone and his sugar courage had reached its peak. Before he stole the opportunity to take off, he waited until Sophia joined alongside him. "Hey they got a cotton candy booth right over there. Let's go check it out."

Sophia nodded with enthusiasm, "I'll race you over there." she picked up speed as did he, both kids racing over towards the booth.

"Hey don't eat all them sweets. I ain't got anything for you if you get sick again." Daryl yelled out to the restless pre-teens before they strode off together towards the various booths set up in the mall.

Pleased that her aching hot feet could finally get the well-needed break they deserved, Amy immediately yanked off her socks and shoes and rolled her sweatpants up to her knees. She spun her body around on the stone until her toes lay right above the fountain's clear water before submerging them underneath the water's surface. She queitly fanned herself and proceeded to wash her dirty hands in the fountain.

She wiggled her toes, swirling her left foot gracefully in a circular motion.

Daryl took the oppurtunity to properly clean the bolts of his crossbow since they were once again caked in blood. With the brain matter, the task would be far from easy but it eased his feelings on how much progess they would lose today from the extension of breaks. _"Good lord, they take any longer I'ma have to drag them out by their damn ankles?"_

His frustration with one of the bolts had become obvious to Amy, his scrubbing quickened and he muttered a few obscenities to himself. Being the good girl she was, it was second hand nature for Amy to offer assistance, "You need any help Daryl?"

He barely lifted his shoulders up, acting as if he didn't want to acknowledge her presence. "Do I look like I need anything?" he snapped rather rudely.

Taking in his bad attitude, Amy didn't reply back, she didn't even question him. She just went back to the task of soaking her sore feet. Maintaining somewhat of an odd relationship with Daryl had already began growing tiresome, he'd be alright to speak with one moment but you say the wrong thing and he'd turn on you like a rapid dog. His mood had gone from easy going to foul since they entered the mall, leading her to figure it originated from when she bought up his parents; whatever it was Amy didn't know how much more she could handle.

Daryl's eyes fell upon Amy once again only for his attention to be redirected to her foot once she pulled it out of the water. For the moment he thought maybe he had bumped his head from earlier, preventing him from depicting what was real and what wasn't. Surprisingly his eyes were not playing tricks on him, especially when they fell on the eye full of yellow marring Amy's foot.

It was a tattoo - a lion tattoo at that and the detailing done to it was astonishing... wait Amy had a tattoo?

Relieved that her brief momemnt of relaxation was through, the blonde removed her wet feet from the fountain before she dabbed them dry with the ends of her sweatpants. If the dirt coating the bottom of her sweatpants wasn't enough then the unbearable Georgia heat signalled that it was time for a change in bottoms, preferably shorts.

Daryl recognized the curious look in Amy's eyes, meaning she was thinking something. "What? You got something floating around in that little head of yours." he tucked his newly cleaned bolts into the chambers of his crossbow.

"What do you mean?" Amy stood on her feet, slipping into her shoes.

"Don't play stupid; you know what I'm getting at."

She exhaled deeply, hoping he wouldn't blow his position as their protector out of proportion. "It's been two days since we've been seperated from the others Daryl. So you put the equation together; no group means no clean clothes, and no clean clothes means... yuck. The unpleasant mixture of body odor and rotting corpses. I need to grab all of us some clean clothes from the stores while we have an advantage."

"You ain't goin' without me," Daryl said firmly with his steel blue orbs planted on her, "We ain't doin' that shit. From now on every one of you stay in my sights."

"Come on Daryl, it shouldn't take me that long, I can handle myself."

"Yeah cause' you did such a fantastic job back at camp," he growled looking down as she held her mouth open. Amy shook her head in pure disgust, her cheeks flushed from the anger, _"What is his problem? Why would he say such shit to me?" _she thought to herself.

As if he had read her thoughts, Daryl snapped back with his usual sarcasm. "Question. What's zero times zero? That's how much I give a fuck bout' you poutin'_ lil girl_. You ain't leaving long as you're with me." he crossed his muscular arms over his chest as if to prove his dominance over her when truthfully he felt the tinge of guilt, knowing how unnecessary it was to be treating her this way.

Amy folded her arms over her chest, adopting a look of defiance, "Hmm, considering I'm not sure if you give a flying rat's ass about my well being, I don't see why you care about me going by myself."

Daryl stepped back, quite startled she had no fear in voicing her opinion.

"Look, I appreciate you more than ever for saving me multiple times, beleive me I know I'll forever be in your debt. But you can't act as if you care or want to become close to me, and then distance yourself with unnescessary bouts of anger. It's becoming confusing as shit to figure you out. I _know_ you're a good man; Carl and Sophia are young but they can pick up on it too. Drop the fucking attitude and we won't have a problem." she finished her well-thought out speech with her arms crossed in a tough manner.

"You don't even know what kind of person I am," Daryl viciously bared his teeth at her, "You're just some whiny kid sittin' here talking about shit you don't understand. And who the hell are you to give me orders?"

Amy had a new sense of boldness, not just a one lined remark to get in some half-assed comebacks. She snapped back snidely as she leaned closer to him, "I'm Amy Palmer, and I _fully _understand that you are a good man who will put his life on the line but won't accept help or sympathy from others so you bite their heads off. You care about me, Carl, and Sophia the same way we've grown to care about you. If you don't like it, deal with it because unfortanutely we're in this until we meet up with my sister and the others."

Daryl just stood looking at the teenager bewildered that such boldness and foul language was existant in Amy. It was completely out of her character to shoot back with as much venom she'd taken from him. The two were so enfused in their stare off that it gave Carl and Sophia time to return from the booths. He finally broke the silence - he unleashed with bouts of laughter. In the end it was far too hilarious.

Daryl wiped the tears forming in the corners of his eyes, "Damn lil Amy, you've got more balls than I'd ever thought."

"Yes I do." Amy growled stubbornly, nearly causing Daryl to burst out laughing again.

"I don't want you gutting me in my sleep so, I'm sorry." The redneck moved out of the path leading to the dead escalator. He bit his tongue while Amy made her way past him as she kept her hardened gaze on him while she passed.

Amy finally dropped her evil facial expression and traded it in for a soft smile. She suddenly felt she finally had a good say in her relationship with Daryl. She motioned for them all to follow after her, which they all did.

Unfortanutely for Daryl, Amy didn't completely allow him to slide for his attitude problems. He and Carl were unaware of the predicament they'd been placed in - their humorous demeanors were replaced with grumbling and complaining as they walked through stores and even more when he and Carl were forced to sit while the girls tried on different clothing.

Amy would choose an item only to place it back as she studied another one - the smirk she sent in his direction only led Daryl to confirm that she was punishing him for his poor attitude. Although she was torturing him, he couldn't get past how beautiful she looked with her cheeks all flustered and her eyes flashing; he'd never been more aroused by her than before.

Sophia however was indecisive, not that she was intentionally trying to drive them both insane.

Carl had lost count of the number of times he'd switched the position he was sitting in - whenever he dragged his parents towards the mall on the weekends, he and Rick would _always _have their clothes picked out and ready to go, but Lori had difficulty deciding what she wanted. "Can we go now?" he impatiently questioned rocking a foot back and forth.

"I don't know guys. Do you think these look better or the other ones I had on before?" Sophia did somewhat of a spin in a ripped pair of jeans hoping they'd finalize her selection. Holding up the other pair before her, the young girl frowned as she looked back between the jeans.

Daryl rubbed his hands over his face in frustration, queitly groaning to himself as he sunk back into his chair. "Sophia where I come from, pants are pants, and those two look just _alike_!"

The twelve-year-old girl shook her head, "No they're not. These pants I have on are boot cut and the others have a flare in them. Hey Daryl, what do you mean where you come from?"

"Darling where I come from homes ain't no bigger than a doublewide, smiles ain't that white, and the moonshine's always flowin' but the money sure ain't."

Eyebrows arched in confusion, Sophia stole a final look from the pants in her arms before she began heading to the dressing room once again. Just before she could grab the door knob, she felt a slight amount of pressure on her wrist. She looked behind her to see Daryl's pleading face, "Sophia' please no more. I like the ones you got on... get those ok. Please, don't try another pair on." he never looked more pathetic than ever.

Sophia lightly giggled under breath, "You sure, becasue I think I saw another pair hanging up-"

"No! No. Pick one of them so we can leave, we've already fucked most of our day away." The redneck dismissed her to finish up before stroding back to the store's entrance demanding more so than asking that everyone move their asses.

Daryl hadn't meant to use profanity but his impatience had gotten the best of him again. How could he let a twelve-year-old gain the satisfaction of witnessing him crack? All because of a pair of pants.

In the end Amy did get the final laugh when Sophia finally exited the store with _both_ pairs of pants, snickering at the hunter's pained facial expression while he stared at her, jaw dropped and all.

Daryl was shaking with anger, fighting to contain his rage from boiling over, "Just because you're a girl, don't think I'm afraid to tan your hide with my belt."

The newly added baggage resulted in the use of another back pack filled with one outfit for the four of them; not enjoyable when they had to toss the back packs over the fence they'd climbed over.

It surprised Daryl how Andrea could have any relation to Amy; Andrea always seemed so serious and guarded while Amy was so youthful and trusting. There were many other differences to depict between the two. When he and Merle first arrived at camp, he had no intentions of making any acquintances with the other camp members, and from their nonverbal communication they had no plans to befriend him at all. Children had been ushered away by their parents and people turned away once they made eye contact, including Andrea.

He knew this look too well; they were judging him.

Before he could break the ice with a nice "fuck off", a beautiful blonde with a gentle smile was the only one who had actually stood up from the log she sat on beside the Asain-looking fella who motioned for her to sit back down; she'd even brushed her dirty hands on her jeans and adjusted her hair some. But before she could even greet herself, Merle slid out of the truck and latched his eyes onto the young girl, a look which only had one meaning.

Amy wordlessly scurried into the RV, not ashamed to admit Merle's gaze had frightened her. Andrea boldly stood her ground, arms crossed as Daryl watched his older brother lick his lips in her direction before lighting a cigarette.

To be quite honest, he was thankful he ended up being lost with the younger sister. He enjoyed Amy's company and had to admit he'd grown attached to her, along with Carl and Sophia. He readjusted the back pack on his shoulder as he stared off into space while the kids conversed amongst themselves. He snapped out of his racing thoughts when the blare of a car horn forced him to twist his entire body.

A yellow Hummer reached a screeching halt before an attractive red-haired woman wearing a black wife beater, ripped jean capris, and converse leaped from the driver's seat in a frantic state. "Please! You have to help, my baby's choking, he stopped breathing! He's not breathing, please! I-I don't know what to do." she pleaded sniffling back tears.

Daryl raised his hand up only to silence her, "Shut up. You up here blaring and shit, you might a' trailed a string of walkers along with you." he snapped searching down the road.

"Daryl," Amy looked at the woman sympathetically, "She needs our help. It's a child for God's sake! We can't just sit here."

He growled under his breath as he looked between Amy and the frantic mother; handing his back pack over to Amy he raced over to the vehicle with her running by his side. He tried to remember how to handle a situation involving a child choking on a small object from time the child's throat was blocked to the moment they stopped breathing. He prayed for the best to happen as he rushed to the car seat containing the child, blanket covering its body. Acting on impulse he yanked the blanket off, only for a terrifying fear to be realized.

It wasn't a child in the car seat, it was a doll. They'd been tricked. Pulling himself out of the hummer, he reached out for his crossbow. "Ya'll run!" he yelled out to the three of them; sadly before he could take as much an aim for her, the woman pulled out a gun and slammed it over his head renduring him unconscouis. Before he fell back into the hummer in a sea of black, Daryl could hear the screams and struggles of Amy, Carl, and Sophia as the fighting three were forced into the hummer along with him.

He failed, he couldn't protect himself let alone them.

X

X

X

By the time it was beginning to get dark, Rick soon realized he had to come up with a new strategy. If they were going to locate his son and the others, then they would need to cover every inch of possible land.

Shane sat across from him, an ice cold beer on his aching head. The dark-haired cop eyed his partner with a strong hint of anger and jealousy mixed in his eyes, only when Lori showed the same intimacy with her husband as she did with him in Rick's absence. To add further insult, he watched Rick plant a loving kiss on his wife's temple as they sat beside the warm fire.

Tyrese stepped out of the RV after dismissing Chris and his daughters to bed. He joined the group by the fire taking a seat by Shane.

Dressed down in his regular clothing, Nick had just set his bottle of water down beside his ankle to retreive his lighter and cigarettes from his pocket. Blake lay stretched out in his adjustable chair, clean clothes on as well, with his head titled far back as Madison cradled her head in the crook of his neck. Nick held the small flame to the tip of the cigarette lowering it once he heard someone clear their throat. The fifteen-yeard-old sighed deeply before turning his head to meet Jacqui and Dale's eyes. "I don't think that's a wise decision son." Dale adjusted his hat some sinking into his chair deeper.

Nick scoffed under his breath, ignoring all the disapproving eyes of the adults. "Trust me. I beleive it's the best decision right now. Nobody even wants to keep looking for Sophia but me and I'm in need of some stress relief. Unfortanutely I ran out of weed."

"Nick, now you know that's not true. We care for your sister like we do any member in this group." Rick calmly added.

Shane sighed from pain and annoyance the kid was causing him. He'd found the enjoyment in his choice of career cuffing trash-talking punks similar to Nick; he wouldn't have an issue at all putting a defiant teenager in his place. He spoke up, "You listen to what we're telling you. Don't you dare act like we don't give a damn about that little girl. We've been breaking our damn legs since day one. It's best if we cover all ground only when the sun is up, that way we're not as vulnerable to walkers."

Madison pulled her head up, "How do we know if we don't try? It wouldn't hurt. I mean, isn't it just as dangerous during the day than night. As long as we're in a group, we shouldn't be easy targets. "

"Damn straight." Nick rolled his eyes, swatting his hand at Shane before he lit his cigarette.

"Are you eighteen young man?" Jacqui asked, arms folded.

Nick exhaled a gleam of smoke, "Just barely." he smirked holding the cigarette between his index and middle finger.

"Good. Carol, is that true? Just wanted to clarify that with your _grown_ son." Arms still crossed, Jacqui turned her entire body towards Carol making the teenager shudder.

Twisting his body in the chair much too quickly, Nick was met with the fierce eyes of his mother who patiently awaited an explanation as her impatient foot repeatedly tapped into the dirt.

"No Jacqui, last time I checked my son was _fifteen_ years old." Carol held her hand out firmly until her son sighed in defeat surrendering the entire pack as well as stomping out the lit one.

"Mom! What th-" he whined, watching in shock as Carol tossed the entire pack into the flames. Blake and Madison unsuccessfully concealed their giggles while their friend slumped his shoulders in defeat.

"Go to bed. Now Nicholas. And pull your pants up." Carol took his seat as soon as he got up, watching him slowly retreat to the RV indeed pulling his sagging britches up. The wife and mother's head snapped to the side as the fits of laughter seemingly went queit, silencing Blake and Madison who coughed uncomfortably.

Tyrese wiped his dirty hands on his jeans, "Blake, Madison ya'll go on ahead and go with him. Make sure he heads in the right direction."

Blake nodded in agreement, holding Madison's hand while they both stood up, "Yes sir. Goodnight everybody, thank you for your kind hospitality." he noted nervously hoping somehow they could all put today's events behind them.

Carol cleared her throat gently, "And I'd like to thank you... Tyrese," he shot her a skeptical look at first. "For saving my boy; you know I'd hate to say this, but his own daddy probably would've done that for him or Sophia. It's just the kind of man he was."

"Oh, it's no problem. I have two daughters, I'd only want someone to do the same for them."

Lori sat up some, wrapping her pink jacket around her small body, "How did you find those boys? Madison? Jamie and Billy? Didn't you see any of their parents?"

Tyrese didn't realize he was holding his own breath in, recalling some of the events which led him to cross paths with the other children sent chills down his spine. "You know, it's horrible what has become of this world; it's... harsh and it's changed. Even the living can't be trusted. I barricaded us all inside a store I normally did my shopping in, figured it was safe since it was familiar. But, one of the guys that worked there, James, had locked himself in; but, he wasn't the same guy I knew. I didn't think of him being a threat until he grabbed Julie and forced himself onto her. I was on the fucker in about two seconds; had no other choice but to kill him. I-I just don't want to think what would've happened if I wasn't there. Days later, I found Jamie and Billy hiding in a sandwhich shop with a loaded gun; if I knew I wasn't going to make it I'd have given a gun to Julie or JoJo. I couldn't really bring myself to ask them about their parents."

Everyone sat in silence, hanging their heads low as he continued on.

"Madison wasn't alone, she did have an older brother with her, a marine," Tyrese snickered a bit, "Baker was the name. I remembered the tag, one tough son of a bitch. But he wasn't invincible; one of the walkers got him from behind and bit him on the leg; he ended up putting a bullet in his head without even flinching. As far as the boys' story goes, they say there ain't much to talk about, when I'm certain they choose not to discuss it. All I've been told is that Nick was cut by a guard."

"By a guard?" Dale had an eyebrow arched. "Sounds strange if you ask me. You sure he didn't attack the man, mabye even threaten him?"

"Who knows what could have happened, whether the man's attack was intended to defend himself I believe he had every intention on killing Nick, self-defense or not." he took a hearty swig of water from his canteen catching the frightened looks of the others.

Rick softly spoke up, "What are you trying to say? Even when the dead are walking, the living are just as likely to pose a threat to us?"

"Absolutely. The walkers serve as our main threat to our safety, but like I said the world now has changed the living as well," Tyrese paused, "I only pray that those lost members from your group don't face that danger like we did."

X

X

X

The heavy weight of Daryl's eye lids began to wear off after what felt like an eternity, only to be followed by the sharp glare of a dim light shining above him. With his mind and body plugged up into cognitive use the pain in his head and wrists was now evident as he fought to right himself. Taking in his surroundings it was easy to identify the desk he was behind; he was in an office of some sort. What kind of building had they been dragged into? More importantly where were Amy, Carl, and Sophia?

_"Damn. That little fire-haired bitch got me good."_ he thought to himself while he made attempts to pull himself out of the duct tape keeping his hands bound together. Although it took much of a struggle he felt around for his spare knife he kept hidden in the back of his pants until he yanked it free; he immediately began sawing at the tape until he heard footsteps approaching.

Just as he folded the knife back into place and concealed it by wrapping it in both his hands, the door opened up and a pair of worn out Jordans made their way around the desk and stood inches by his head. The oxygen left his lungs as he felt the boy's boot hit his stomach, causing him to gasp for air. "T-That ain't even hurt." he breathed out.

"Huh? What did you say?" the boy said. This boy couldn't be any older than Amy or Glenn - he was an African-American male who had on a red flannel shirt with dark blue jeans sagging terribly below his belt. The ridiculous mohawk he sported made it obvious this boy wasn't too bright to sport a hairdo like that.

"I said that ain't even," from his position on the ground Daryl was able to make out confusion on the kid's face, "Oh fuck, nevermind." he figured this kid lacked more intelligence than his accomplices. This was good. Daryl rolled onto his back once again and pulled out his knife and resumed cutting the tape queitly. He smiled when the tape tore.

His silent celebration didn't go undetected, "Hey. What's so damn funny pretty boy?" Doug questioned him.

"You hit like a bitch." And with that Daryl was up on his feet, knife unsheethed before he plunged it deep into Doug's shoulder. The boy's cries were silent as Daryl covered his mouth with his vacant hand waiting until his finally limp body was slowly guided onto the floor. Daryl carefully peeked out of the small glass window.

In the neighboring room, Sophia tried pulling her arms away from the red-haired woman's hands as she bounded the young girl with duct tape inside the office they were kept prisoner in. She sniffed a couple of times, only for her sobs to convert to a series of quickened panicked breaths once the cool metal of the gun was pressed against her cheek. A tall, muscular man with dark hair wearing a navy hoodie and sagging jeans, forced the adolescent girl to face him with the gun's barrel still digging into her cheek.

"Amber, go get the bags." the dark-haired male instructed his female counterpart who immediately complied with his order tossing the door open to retrieve the belongings leaned against the wall.

Across from her, Amy manuvered her body to where she had a better visual on Sophia - prodominately to assure the man didn't hurt her or even worse. Her blood boiled over in her veins, sickened at the thought of an adult bringing harm to a child. As she had slowly gained consciousness she recalled hearing the man's name, "No Otto please. Just leave her alone. She's a little girl." she said.

"Why are you crying pumpkin? I haven't even _considered_ putting a bullet into your itty bitty little brain." the man turned his entire body to the woman behind him, finding humor in their sick, twisted game. "You're going to have to soak up those tears sweetheart, this world we live in now doesn't give two shits about whiny children."

Carl had put up most of a struggle and although he was subdued, he couldn't allow his friends to be harmed, "Leave her alone!" he yelled out to the man with such venom. He summoned up the courage within him to stare Otto down as he appproached him; however he didn't expect to be struck with such force it knocked him on his side. "Carl!" Sophia cried out.

Otto shook his head in disdain, "See that. Disrespectful. You should be ashamed you little shit."

Amy immediately fell to Carl's side, soothingly rubbing his back and face. Moments after assaulting the child, Otto then studied the pretty blonde teenager further, looking at her in a way that sent chills down her spine; she hated feeling as if she were just a body to lustful men.

"Well hello beautiful," the man lowered himself to the teenage girl's level, running a caloused hand down Amy's hair as she jerked away. He then proceeded to stroke one of his dirty fingers against her cheek, before pressing his finger on her lips as he hushed her earning himself a dirty glare. "We're not going to hurt you...yet. No need for you getting worked up."

"Please..."

Amber pulled an arm back striking Amy with powerful force the sound of flesh on flesh could be heard, "Bitch. You don't know no better, do you? Chew that tongue up and shut the hell up." she hauled both back packs into the office.

Amy was no longer scared, she was pissed - talking back wouldn't be the smartest decision, so she figured she'd have to submit to them. "Please...this doesn't make any sense as to why you'd do this to us. Look we have two kids who really want to get back to their parents, and I wish to see my sister too," Amy allowed her legs to slide to the ground watching the man casually press a cigarette to his lips , "Why? Why are you doing this?"

Otto exhaled a gleam of smoke into the air, "Don't you realize what the world around us has come to? It's like a game, a sick twisted fucking game. Survival of the fittest - I'm pretty sure you know where we stand in the food chain. Those damn animals, tore through half of my men, tried to kill my old lady. I won't stand for it anymore. You know, we tried to play nice by finding our own food, roof, and people but times are tough - no food, no safety, everyone getting eaten alive. How do you expect us to keep on much longer?"

"Look it's hard, we know. But you can't just go around snatching people and stealing their supplies to strengthen your numbers and feed yourselves." Amy argued.

"Well baby I just did. To you, your brats, and your old man... and there isn't nothing you can do to stop me. And I will do it again and again because it's how we survive." Otto flicked his cigarette on the floor before pulling Amber onto his lap. He planted a gentle kiss on her cheek, "Get blondie ready to go. I'll let Doug know it's time to graduate."

Amy crinkled her face in confusion, especially when she had been referred to. What was she being prepared for? "Get me ready for what? What are you planning on doing to me? Tell me."

Amber pulled herself off Otto's lap before she began rummaging through the drawers for something, "Admission. The price of admission into our group has high expectations. You are the test our potential member needs to pass - luckily Doug has a thing for blondes."

The realization of her words didn't hit her until she caught the sickening look in Otto's eyes. They were looking to pawn off her innocence to a wishful thug just so he could be part of their group. Judging by their carefree attitudes this was a policy they went by long before the infection began spreading. The words seemed to be lost in her throat as she felt the tears begin to fall.

Amy felt her heart sink to her knees as Amber ripped off a piece of tape, knowing what would happen if Otto whisked her away with this boy. She refused to be some pawn just so she could be violated for a gang member's admission. She had to create a distraction. Right before the tape was pressed to her lips, the teenage girl took the chance to attack, grabbing a handful of Amber's hair while she slammed her head into the wall, knocking the woman down before she made an attempt on her escape.

Just before Amy got to her knees, Otto delivered a brutal assault much worse than what his partner received, launching his work boot into her abdomen. Amy's pain was accompanied with numbness from the blow while she let out a grunt of pain before landing roughly on her back. She quickly held her hands before her face signalling she surrendered - if he had no problem hitting a woman then it'd be just as simple for him to kill one.

"No," Amy protected her abdomen as Otto held his boot above her, "Don't-"

"Don't!" Otto roared out, pulling his gun on Amy, "Don't what bitch!"

"...Don't ...scream too loud asshole."

Furrowing his eyebrows, Otto dropped his gun once he felt a painful sensation in his upper back, a pain so intense it had him on his knees. A long arrow had been embedded in his back disabling him only temporary. Daryl raced over to a relieved Carl and Sophia, cutting the tape from their wrist before he went to Amy. He gently guided her to her feet after cutting the tape on her wrists. "You alright?" he asked, earning a meek nod. "Good, time to start running."

Taking her small hand into his Daryl tossed open the glass door leading to escape, all rushed out except for Carl who snatched the gun laying by Otto's head. He tucked it under his shirt before following the sounds of quickened footsteps. Running blind in the stilled darkness, it was confusing to know who was in front, behind, or running into the trash cans and walls - judging by the long hallways, lockers, and the dim lit rooms with desks, they were inside a school.

Before he was aware Daryl had found the school's cafeteria, ducking the children off in there as they manuvered past the lunch tables. Amy, Carl, and Sophia were situated close by the entrance while Daryl hid in the back behind the salad bar. The redneck's protective instincts were high in gear, especially after Amy and Carl took a violent beating from Otto while Sophia had a gun to her head. The plan for them to make a break for safety had already been set in motion. All Otto had to do was enter the cafeteria; once he did Amy queitly slipped away with the children to find a spot to lay low.

"Go." Daryl queitly mouthed to them.

However, their well thought out plan fell through as soon as it was accomplished.

The sounds of footsteps in the halls frightened Carl and Sophia, leading adrenaline to overpower their common sense which resulted in them racing off hand in hand into the darkness leaving Amy disoriented and lost in the hallway alone.

"Shit! Fuck!" the blonde fiddled for the lighter in her pockets. "So much for following simple fucking instructions. Carl? Sophia?" Her finger grazed the lighter many times until the small flame finally flicked on; sadly, once the flame was lit a great force of impact slammed her into the lockers, then Amy felt herself forced into a nearby bathroom by none other than Amber.

The upperhand went to Amber who then delivered a nasty left hook to Amy's cheekbone before slamming her into a stall leading their fight in the middle of the bathroom. Amy hadn't been quick enough to dodge the next blow slamming her into the mirror, raining glass shards all over her as she roughly landed on the bathroom floor. The agonizing pain in her scalp flared as she felt her hair pulled, leading her to unleash a shriek from pain. Out of her peripherial vision Amy's eyes landed on a glass shard nearby, struggling to reach out to it as Amber's fingers continued twisting into her hair.

_"This bitch is pulling my hair."_ Amy thought to herself. The teenager recalled some self-defense moves Shane taught her in camp, just in case Merle ever tried anything. With all her strength, Amy elbowed Amber in the face and then the stomach before reaching for the glass and plunging it deep into Amber's throat. The red-head helplessly gurgled in pain while attempting to staunch the blood loss, only to be stabbed once again. This hit however was deadly since it allowed her to slowly suffer from pain before life drained from her.

Daryl felt the chills run down his spine hearing the all too familiar scream. His instinct to race towards Amy's aid almost led to his demise when the screech his boots sounded on the floor - Otto fired off many rounds barely missing Daryl as he dodged every bullet, leading the pursuit into the hallway. "You not going to get away from me boy! I'm going to get you and your bitch!" Otto roared running blind in the dark firing off rounds as they richoted off lockers.

Daryl managed to duck into an open closet further down the hall which allowed Otto to race past him; he couldn't leave Amy knowing she was in danger. Firmly holding his weapon he scowered the hallways and classrooms whispering out for Carl, Amy, or Sophia praying one of them was close. "Amy?" he quickly peeked into a storage closet, "Amy? Where ya'll at?"

The sounds of shuffling about further down the hall caught his full attention, to where he broke out in a jog, pressing his ear against the bathroom door in which he heard sniffling. "It's ok come on out. It's Daryl."

"Daryl?" the blonde's soft voice said. Slowly pulling open the wooden door was Amy shaking heavily from the shock brought on from the blood coating her clothes. Before Daryl could question the possible injuries she appeared to have, his eyes soon landed on the motionless, bloody body of Amber sprawled out beside the sink lying around the glass shards - a thick puddle of blood seeped out of her cut throat slowly soaking her hair.

The sight before him left Daryl in a temporary state of shock, "Damn. You go girl." Not from the dead woman before him but from _who_ violently ended her life.

"...Yeah thanks. The bitch yanked a handful of hair. After she tried beating the shit out of me."

The jogging began taking its toll on Carl's chest leaving him wheezing and gasping desperately for air. His poor performance in physical education was beginning to haunt him. By now it was evident to Sophia that leaving Amy wasn't wise, especially when they were the hunted in pursuit of the hunters. "We should've never left. We're in big trouble." Sophia said.

"I don't even think the word trouble fits our problem," Carl said using the lockers to guide him through the dark, "Which hallway did we just come from Sophia?" He squinted through the darkness only catching the dull glares of the exit signs and few lights flickering on and off.

"How should I know? We've been running in circles for so long my head is spinning. We can try to go back down the stairs again, hopefully we don't run into any of them."

Carl began to put into question her meaning of "them", whether it classified the walkers or their abductors. He figured it was best he drop the matter and lead the small search party consisting of them both all while avoiding having their throats torn out. He wavered off behind himself signalling her to move forward and keep close. The sheriff deputy's son pressed his fingers to his lips, somewhat ceasing the whimpers coming from Sophia.

The frightened children queitly scurried down a couple of hallways soon leading them to the very staircase they had hastily climbed up. The only real obstacle preventing them from moving along were the empty classrooms far too queit for comfort in the hall. It was dark, but it was obvious the walls were smeared thick with bloody hands prints most likely from unfortanute victims who didn't survive beyond the school.

Carl crouched down immediately once the gunshots along with Otto's demented screams echoed throughout the school. Sophia wasn't about to allow her curiosity to place herself in harm's way, so she followed Carl's influence and crouched down beside him. "Come on, but be queit." Carl slowly walked down the hall while tracing his fingers along the locker for guidance - his greater concern was the chance they stood with being devoured than lost. He never forgot the gun he had concealed under his shirt, he just hoped it wasn't on safety when he needed to pull the trigger.

Sophia trailed close behind Carl all while stealing glances behind her, she figured it'd be best to have eyes in the back of her head at a time like this. With her eyes too focused on the sightings around her she bumped roughly into Carl, who had turned the corner of one classroom to peer into. The lights flickering repeatedly allowed him to get a full view of whatever had him frozen in his place.

"What is it?" Sophia patiently waited for a response, but her friend had barely budged when she tapped him, "Carl what's inside the classroom?"

She tapped him harder than before making the boy jump up in fear, making a quick reach for the gun. Pulling himself out of his senses before both of them could fall victim to friendly fire, Carl looked into Sophia's questioning eyes. He stole a quick glance one final time, "Whatever you do... don't look in there. Promise me?"

"Sure." Sophia nodded.

Just as she passed by the classroom which had Carl so stiff with fear she debated violating her quick promise to Carl just to steal a glance inside. Then again he might have warned her for the greater good. What if it was someone with their intestines spilling out? Or a dead body with little to no flesh left? However brutal the carnage might be she wised up and continued after Carl fighting the urge to turn her head.

They were about halfway when the gunshots rang out again only closer. By now Carl was up on his feet jogging towards the end of the hall. "Bullshit, we're out of here." he muttered racing down the hall with Sophia hot on his trail.

"Hey quit cussing." Sophia hissed.

"Who cares? I'm not getting shot by some psycho."

Despite lacking a few inches compared to Sophia, Carl had managed to race toward the end of the hall looking left and right for any signs of their trigger-happy abductor. Further down the hall Sophia picked up speed to escape the darkness around her glancing repeatedly into the rooms she passed - it was the next room in the hall she didn't look into which resulted in her tripping on the floor landing face down. She felt the blood pour out of her nose before realizing she wasn't this clumsy to trip over her own feet. If not mistaken it felt like she tripped over a boot.

Walkers definitely weren't smart enough to trip anyone. And Otto sounded as if he were downstairs. Sophia immediately flipped herself over only for her eyes to land on the manic face of Doug looking crazier than before - he had blood running down his shirt and the color was drained from his face, his left eye twitched repeatedly possibly from his anger. Even worse than his physical state he was holding something in his hand.

"Oh shit." Sophia muttered scooting backwards. Every time she'd scoot back some Doug would take another step towards her slowly raising his weapon, a shiv, above his head. He crackled a sadistic chuckle as he held his weapon high above the frightened pre-teen girl. "Carl. Carl. Carl!" Sophia pulled herself away from Doug as fast as she could, her frantic attempts to evade him weren't quick enough as Doug slammed his shiv dangerously close to Sophia's leg.

Witnessing his friend in danger Carl hastily tossed open a classroom door, "In here hurry!" he yelled to Sophia who was currently racing from Doug as fast as her feet could carry her. Once she brushed by him, Carl yanked the door handle with every ounce of his strength only moments from slamming it shut - a struggle ensued after Doug managed to slip his fingers under the door while he pulled back with equal force. Both children held on with all their might despite the sweat from their hands making their grip slick and Doug viciously slashing the open air around him.

The possiblity of two children against a grown man was futile, even known to both Carl and Sophia. The fear that they could die had become even more realistic once Doug succeeded in shoving his way into the room, pointing the knife directly in Sophia's direction as the powerless twelve-year-old cowered behind the desks. He proceeded to stalk towards her raising the shiv above his head, "Where you going brat? I'm not finished with you yet."

Sophia closed her eyes shut before sliding herself onto the floor silently praying to God that not only would the pain would be absent but her mother and brother would be safe and somehow overcome the grief of losing her. Her eyes jerked back open as a single gunshot rang out - fidgeting roughly with the gun shaking in his hand, Carl firmly held the gun in both hands while he watched Doug collapse to the floor.

He wordlessly watched as Sophia crept around Doug as if she expected him to jump up. However the man's movements and breathing were silent; Doug was dead. At twelve-years-old Carl Grimes never expected to kill anyone. Sophia met eyes with him, "Carl... he's dead."

Before the words could leave his lips the sounds of footsteps had the boy on edge, lifting the gun up to whoever shoved into the room. Daryl held his hands up in defense,"Shit! Damn kid put the safety on!"

"I'm sorry." Carl gasped more embarassed than frightened.

"Sorry ain't going to do much if you put a bullet in my ass!"

Amy ran in behind Daryl, running blindly at full speed she would've likely tripped over Doug's body had she not dug her heels into the floor. Her distressed eyes trailed from Doug to the gun Carl handed to Daryl, still in disbelief at Carl's self-defense kill. "Well shit." was all she could say. "Guess I won't be the only one to have nightmares."

Before Daryl could ask questions or give orders he froze in his place once his eyes fell on the state of Sophia. Her nose was bleeding profusely but that wasn't the worst damage done - he noticed blood seeping down her mid-thigh. His protective instincts led him to drop his weapon and kneel before her inspecting the blood. "Daryl sto - I'm ok. It's jus-" Sophia pleaded swatting his hands away.

"No Phia' you got blood all over you! It ain't ok." Daryl frantically turned back to Amy and Carl, "The hell ya'll standing there for? Can't you see she's bleeding? Carl what the hell happened?"

"That man found us in the hallway. I saw him try to get her with a knife; that's why I shot him." Carl answered.

Sophia struggled against Daryl's powerful grip, "No seriously I'm ok. I'm not bleeding because he stabbed me." she was able to slip her wrists from Daryl's grip, meekly glancing around the room anywhere to avoid the sets of questioning eyes on her. "It's my...my..."

"Then what the hell is it?"

"...I... I got my period."

X

X

X

_Hello again my dearest fans, for I have taken some extended time and kept you all waiting. That is why I've updated with a LONG chapter on my 20th birthday. I'm so sorry, but college is time consuming. I'd like to thank Jayna Prime, Leanna Dasey Lover, Guest, and Piratejessieswaby for reviewing. Yes it is common for men to lack patience as women try on clothes in the mall - we may have identified Daryl's weakness._

_The whole trap Otto, Amber, and Doug set up using a plastic doll to lure Daryl and the others is a reference from Sons of Anarchy - season 2 episode 1. The episode in which Gemma is lured and captured this way. The abduction plot involving a violent group has been brewing in my mind for awhile so I hope you like it. This is a REAL method people use to lure unsuspecting victims, prodomitly women, so please be careful._

_I did read up on Tyrese so I'd know what I was working on, and he did indeed mention to Rick how the people and world he once knew has changed, along with how he had to kill the man who tried to rape Julie. So that's why I felt it would be compelling to add this in to see how the world has changed for the worse._

_Have a happy holiday!_

_-Beachbunnyluvsu_


	12. If Only They Knew The Truth

**Hey Hey Hey as my roomate and I always say! Guess whose back? Not just me, but the continuation of AMC's the Walking Dead! I deeply apologize to each and every one of those who have been dying to see an update on the survival status of Daryl, Amy, Carl, and Sophia - it has been a difficult road for me in the time from Christmas break until now, but I've had great support and got the help that I need. Life is such a beautiful thing to cherish.**

"What?" Daryl asked incrediously, now eyeing the supposed "wound" with a disgusted look. His eyebrows were knotted together in confusion.

Sophia raked her hair out of her eyes before meekly responding back once again. "I said I got my period. I noticed something well... funny feeling down there after we left the mall so I was going to ask if we were close to a bathroom. But that was right before we were snatched so I never got to go."

In the moment all four of them sat in a silenced and awkward stance once the realization began to set in. After all a lot of unwelcomed situations will always be present, especially during the end of the world and its humanity - if you're a woman who has undergone puberty or haven't yet experienced it, you will still get your period. Daryl and Carl finally sealed the undying silence.

"Ugh!" Both of them loudly grumbled at the same time. Daryl rubbed his hand over his face in deep aggitation to express how he was feeling as of now. It was odd enough for him to have to tolerate a noticeably gorgeous teenage girl under his protection, but now he had a pre-teen girl who just experienced the beginning stages of puberty. Carl's physical expression on his face spoke more so than any other words could - his tongue hung out mimicking as if he were about to become physically ill while his nose was scrunched, and his eye brows were knitted together.

"Please do me the favor of shutting up, both of you." Amy brushed past the over dramatic pair towards Sophia, whose cheeks had gone from pale to a light shade of red from the embarrassment before pulling her into an embrace.

The only prevention keeping Daryl and Carl from complaining any further were the piercing gun shots ringing out once again, then followed by Otto screaming the breath out of his lungs. With Doug shot dead by Carl and Amber lying dead in the girls' restroom with her throat slit open by Amy, their ring leader was the only obstacle left standing in their way to safety and freedom.

Daryl made sure the safety on the gun was off before he proceeded to scan the darkened hallways. Once the coast was clear he wordlessly motioned for the others to follow close behind him towards the nearest flight of stairs - the shots sounded as if they were coming from the second level of the school meaning Otto was close by. If this was true it only meant Amy, Carl, and Sophia would be caught in a crossfire if he was to find them - the worst idea may be the best solution for now.

"Jesus, he sounds like he's really lost it." Amy commented.

"And close." Carl quickly added.

Slinging the crossbow over his back, Daryl sent a silent prayer hoping he wasn't doing something he'd regret. Reaching into the depths of his pocket he unsheathed his six inch hunting knife before handing it over to Amy who appeared confused and nervous. "I need you to listen to me Amy, and you best listen damn good because I'm only going to tell you once. That wacky son of a bitch is close by and he is _pissed off_; I need you to take Carl and Sophia downstairs, duck em' off somewhere safe, and keep quiet til' I come get you."

"What? Are you insane? He could kill you." the teenager argued.

Daryl smacked his lips in annoyance, "Well hell I know that. Now quit being a damn thorn in my ass and get lost before I shoot you too." he waved his weapon around to emphasize the seriousness of his threats. The hunter cocked his gun with the good intent to kill his enemy - a man who had kidnapped and physically assualted children and a girl. His girl. Otto had not only brought harm to Amy but had even tried to pawn her off for another man's initiation into a gang. Use her as someone's toy.

Otto turned the corner as expected, firing off the first round which would've struck Daryl had he not dodged it as quick. He responded by firing off rounds from the safety of the classroom, only dipping out when his opponent had his hands down.

Focusing his full attention on refraining from any injuries began to prove difficult, especially with Otto firing madly with more of the intent to hit something rather than focus on his target. Frustrated that all the bullets shot weren't doing him any good, Otto raced down the hall with the hopes that he would get a better shot in his crazed mind. A mistake which led to his downfall - a bullet ripped right through his calf muscle, causing him to collide into a trash bin only creating more pain. He howled madly while grabbing his calf, rolling around and having long forgotten about his weapon.

Taking advantage of his new position, Daryl ran over to the wounded man before snatching the 8mm magnum by Otto's side. Feeling the rage and emotion overpowering his body, Daryl kicked the gang leader in the side before stomping down on his bleeding calf. "Turn your goddamn ass over!" he yelled loudly, now pointing the magnum at Otto.

"Fuck you!" Otto screeched in pain, clawing away at the wax floors beneath him. "Fuck you!" he screamed again.

"I'm tempted to just put a bullet into your head right now. Now you best do what I said and turn over before I paint the lockers with your blood." he threatened menacingly still pointing the gun into the back of the man's head with full intent on shooting. Daryl kicked the man again this time in the back of his neck, even finding enjoyment in the man's pain. This had now become torture.

Instead of a sarcastic remark, Otto complied with the man above him, whimpering from the added pain caused by the redneck. Through the tears and sniffles Otto finally found the courage to send a sadistic smirk in Daryl's direction, despite all the pain he endured. His mental state had to have been severely damaged to the point where he was fearless of death.

Daryl only became more infuriated when his reign of torture didn't frighten the man as expected, "Why you laughing huh? What's so damn funny?"

"You're funny motherfucker! You think you scare me? I'm only gonna use my last moments on this fucked up Earth to enjoy and fantasize about that pretty little honey you got." Otto's breathing was labored by now, forcing him to take more time to breathe and even more time to enjoy Daryl's reaction. "That little blonde, you're fucking her aren't you? Aren't you sissy boy? You know she's too much woman for you right? She won't know a good time until she gets under me. Huh sissy boy?"

Daryl found himself trying to shun the word being said to him repeatedly. In that moment he wasn't Daryl Dixon, a crossbow weilding survivor. He was a scared and vulnerable nine-year-old little boy cornered by his drunken father in his bedroom. _"You scared ain't you lil sissy boy? What's wrong? Can't learn to take a beating if you shy away from it."_

The man bleeding on the floor before him only worsened this fear. "Come on you little pussy, pull the trigger and prove your're a man!"

Daryl rammed his eyes shut when he heard the familiar word, feeling the sting of the belt on his arms, legs, and torso as his father repeatedly brought the belt down with powerful force. _"Take it sissy boy! Take it all and don't forget! You best wipe them tears if you want to be a man! Be a man! Be a man! Be a man!" _After the belt, it usually ended with a pa spitting on and kicking him. That time it ended with ma's hot curling iron. _"Be a man!"_

Otto pounced up desptie the intense pain erupting in his leg, "Be a man sissy boy!" That combination of words was more than enough to set Daryl off, words so powerful they could push him to snap. He screamed at the top of his lungs before aiming the gun right between Otto's eyes and pulling the trigger.

Amy whipped her entire body around in an instant once she identified the two horrible sounds coming from the second level of the school: a scream and then a gunshot, only problem was it was Daryl screaming and not Otto. She clasped her hands over her mouth, unable to prevent the whimpers from escaping. Had Daryl been shot? Was he dead? If he was, what would they do without him?

Even without the proper answers to those questions, she knew she had to be strong even if the unthinkable had happened, for Carl and Sophia. Noticing Amy's frightened reaction to the sounds from the second level, both of them began to panic inwardly and out. "Holy shit, that was a gun!" Carl all but whispered, looking over towards the stairs in fear of Daryl's demise.

Sophia felt herself on the verge of a mental breakdown, "Daryl... Oh my gosh. He can't be dead. He can't be dead, he just can't." she continously shook Amy's forearm in hopes of gaining the teenager's attention and proving it wasn't the truth. "Amy please tell me Daryl's not dead." the young girl pleaded with the older girl.

The teenager wasn't too sure how to respond to Sophia's question, she had come to the realization that talking wasn't exactly the best solution. Amy knew right there and then that it was wise to surpass the panic and just do as Daryl said. "Carl, Sophia, you know I wish I could tell you Daryl is ok, but you both need to hide. No questions asked, just do it."

Carl was the first to object, "But what about..."

Amy quickly eyed the hallway around her, trying to think of a safe location to dip the children into without the possiblity of walkers. It wasn't until her eyes landed on a bathroom door, the men's room to be exact. Grasping both of their hands, she pulled both children with her towards the restroom, pulling open the door to assure there were no walkers. Carl poked his head right under Amy's arm, "Can't I just ask you one question?"

"No Carl, just hide with Sophia until it's safe. Please just do it without squeaking in my ear. No matter what happens, do not leave this bathroom." Amy gently shoved the latter by his head into the bathroom. Before she could join the pair, she felt herself tense up when she heard an unknown commotion in the women's restroom. The sounds didn't simply end right there and then, they continued on - the only thing inside of the women's restroom was Amber's bloody body.

With curiosity overpowerering common sense, Amy assured the door to the men's restroom was sealed shut before slowly proceeding towards the women's room. Pressing her ear to the door, the chills kept her still enough to listen attentively to the unidentified movements in the bathroom. It was now or never. Amy immediately yanked the bathroom door open, believing the first thing she'd lay eyes on was Amber's body. The breath in her throat quickened to where it mirrored a panic attack - the mixture of blood and broken glass lay spread out on the floor, however Amber's body was now absent at this point.

_"What th- what the fuck happened to her body? I know I didn't hit my head hard enough to forget she was laying right there. Is it possible walkers came along and... finished her off?"_ Amy thought to herself, studying the room before her for the missing body. It would be absolutely pointless to continue her hunt for a dead body. Confused yet curious, Amy came to the conclusion that it was best to just leave and return to the children.

"Amy. Pssst Amy, what was that noise?" Sophia asked in a hushed voice through the door.

The blonde had been hesitating on her answer at the moment, long enough for her to drop her guard - which proved it could be fatal at any given moment. Her eyes widened in shock once she felt a sharp tug on her arm, feeling wet fingers on the skin of her arm - and she had ever given reason to be in fear of her life. Standing before her was a resurrected and pale Amber, fresh blood cascading from her neck, covering the front of her tank top completely. It was definitely her, only difference were her skin and eyes - the skin was now a sickly, pale color exactly as if the color was drained from her skin. Her once baby blue eyes were now bloodshot accompanied with pupils of a sickening green color. Without a doubt she wasn't just dead, she was a walker.

Unleashing an ear piercing scream, Amy struggled with the walker until she managed to shove Amber away with all her might, only standing on shaking legs as she witnessed her body bounce off the bathroom floor in a painful manner. Despite having an obvious broken jaw, the new walker didn't appear to feel any pain but only possess the need to feed. As Amber took the time to get up, Amy took the time to flee down the hall away from the children. The flickering lights proved to somewhat of an obstacle for Amy - the only reliable source she could use was the wall, which she always kept her hands on.

With her anxiety at a dangerous high, she was unable to prevent herself from toppling over her own shaking legs, forcing her to now drag herself away. The moment intensified once Amber linked eyes with her, moving her limp body in a time consuming pace - every step Amber took the more Amy scooted farther away. Sadly for the eighteen-year-old, she felt her body hit the wall at the end of the hallway, signalling that she was cornered like a defenseless animal.

"No-No way can you be alive. I killed you. You we're fucking dead." Amy muttered in a state of shock. It was pointless to ponder on how it happened or why it happened - the only thing she could do was fight back against the now resurrected Amber. She didn't even view the knife as an option anymore, especially with the lights flickering. Acting on pure impulse, Amy grabbed the nearest item considered a weapon to kill Amber for good - the trophies seated behind her had some good weight to them.

She tossed a small one with all her might, "Get back!", she grabbed for a couple more bigger than the first, "Shit! Get back!" Despite being struck in the chest and head, the walker continued towards the teenage girl, completely unaffected. Taking an even taller trophy in both hands, Amy threw it with all the might in her arms, "Stay away!" it was thrown with so much might, it broke in half right there on Amber's face yet she continued limping towards Amy.

Amy gasped in shock and fear of this, still in disbelief that all her efforts remained futile.

Hearing Amy's screams in fear didn't fall on deaf ears - Carl and Sophia peered out of the restroom, witnessing their now reanimated captor inching towards a defenseless Amy who continued tossing trophies at the walker. "We have to do something, even if it means going against the rules." Carl said.

Sophia smacked her lips, "Did I never said we shouldn't do that? Hurry up Amy needs us."

Carl yelled out, "Quick find something we can use as a weapon."

Tossing open the door both twelve-year-olds made it a mission to seek out anything that would be useful as a weapon, only problem was the flickering lights made it difficult to zero in on anything. They scurried around the items on the ground: books, backpacks, and loose papers remained spread out on the ground. Carl didn't holler in excitement until he noticed the fire extinguisher seated behind the glass case. "Sophia over here!" Carl yelled racing over to the wall, repeatedly attempting to kick the glass out with his converse shoe. "It...wont...break." he huffed heavily in between kicks.

Glancing down on the floor, Sophia quickly grabbed a hefty biology book from the ground. "Carl move!" she yelled. Once Carl cleared the path for her, the young girl tossed the book into the glass case with all her might, shattering it into millions of pieces. Both kids worked together to pull out the hefty fire exstinguisher without cutting their fingers or wrists on the glass before racing over towards Amy.

"Amy catch!" they both yelled out together, tossing the extinguisher to their cornered friend. Scurrying on her kness to the extinguisher, the blonde didn't even take time to whine about how heavy it was - if anything that was the benefit she had verses the set of rotting teether snapping towards her. With all her might, she raced over to Amber and swung the extinguisher so hard it created a dent in Amber's head. The walker fell to the floor, hissing in aggitation of its meal evading its reach, only to have the heavy extinguisher crash into its skull once again.

Amy rose her weapon above her head and brought it down on Amber's skull a final time, permanently silencing Amber. Amy fought back the bile in the back of her throat, coughing roughly from the sight of brain matter she had to cover her nose and mouth. While fighting the urge to vomit, she could hear the excited voices of the children calling out to Daryl.

Carl and Sophia hurriedly ran towards the redneck carrying their backpacks filled with supplies and clothes, clasping their arms around his torso with a python like grip to unsure he couldn't get out. They were more so thankful that he wasn't dead than the fact that they were scared, their fears finally washed away now that he was there in the flesh in blood. Daryl was actually surprised in his own actions - normally he refused any form of affection from anybody, but in this moment he had both the kids in a strong embrace. He was glad they were alive as well.

Raising her face from the palms of her hands, Amy couldn't help but spread a smile on her face the minute she laid eyes on Daryl. The excitement brewing in her was uncontrollable, thankful that the man who protected her was alive. "Daryl..." Amy whispered, beginning to walk at a slow pace before she gradually picked up speed. She didn't stop until she had her arms around him and held him in a tight hug. She didn't care at this moment, she, Daryl Carl, and Sophia were alive and that was what mattered the most. "I was so scared. I-I thought you had been killed." she whispered into his chest.

In that moment Amy didn't know it, but Daryl felt the same way she did now that they were there standing in that hallway. He felt happy. The blonde was even more surprised when she felt the redneck's strong arms snake around her waist, pulling her close. She sniffed back the tears before burying her face into his shoulder - the feeling was overwhelming. She wanted to cry her eyes out into his shoulder, but at the same time she wanted to laugh and smile now that he was there with her.

It was then and there in that moment they shared in the dim hallway, that Amy finally understood what she was feeling. She was in love with Daryl Dixon. By now the label was more than a simple crush, it was love. The only problem was she couldn't tell him how she felt about him - he wouldn't want to be with someone he viewed as a child. And she highly doubted that Andrea or Dale would approve of her having a relationship with Daryl. As if it would happen.

She wiped away a stray tear before he could pull away and get a look at her face. He unshouldered the crossbow from his back and marched straight to the entrance doors, scanning the dark premises around the building. "We need to get going, the sounds of those gunshots will definitely reel in a herd of walkers."

Carl looked up at the older man, "But it's dark out there. Where are we going to stay for the night?"

"There's a Seven Eleven a few miles down the road, luckily it ain't surrounded by anything overpopulated. We spend the night there, give ourselves time to rest up, and then move out in the morning." Daryl checked the rounds of bullets in both guns, pleased that they had enough to spare. "Let's go, they're already a few starting to pop up."

Carl and Amy each grabbed a back pack to carry while Daryl kept both guns on his waist so they would be easy to access when needed. As they raced out into the darkness of the night, they were fortanute there were only a few walkers along the way which were easily dodged. Only a couple of walkers occupied the parking lot to the Seven Eleven, which Daryl managed to take out with his crossbow. After gaining entry to the store, the foursome treated themselves to a dinner consisting of re-heated hot dogs, chips, and Gatorade after Amy and Sophia retreated to the restroom to aid the younger girl in putting on a pad and changing into fresh underwear and pants.

Right before her eyes became heavy with sleep, Amy wordless watched Daryl as he slept, fighting the strong urge she possessed to rake the loose hair out of his face. She soon succumbed to sleep, but not before the words echoed in her head.

_"If only you knew that I love you." _she thought to herself.

X

X

X

Exhausted yet grateful he had managed to keep all three safe during their ordeal, Daryl was rewarded the joy of enjoying a promising morning walk through the country dirt road in the early hours of morning. And to make it much more pleasant, Carl and Sophia remembered to keep up with his pace and never fall behind - it helped him look smug.

More importantly, it helped him forget about uncovering the past abuse he endured from his father. He had always grown to hate that word. _Sissy boy._ It was all pa and Merle ever called him growing up. Everything went downhill after ma died - before then pa would beat Merle black, blue, and bloody yet he would treat Daryl as his favorite son. This only fueled his older brother with jealousy, which was why he taunted and roughed Daryl up when they were children. But once ma passed away, both sons were a target for their father Walter Dixon.

Over the years the lack of love and the presence of abuse caused Daryl to be filled with anger, hurt, and more importantly made him incapable of loving anybody else but mother. When she died, love became a stranger to Daryl Dixon - not only did he not know how express it, he was also fearful to love somebody back. After the events from last night, he found himself scared shitless of something as real as their situation.

Amy. There was something growing between the both of them, something far too big for him to ignore. Of all the survivors from the camp, she was the only one who didn't judge him or treat him like an outcast. She was the only one who dared to shatter his emotional barrier he set up long ago. He respected her for that and for finding her voice when all he had been doing was pushing her away when all she showed him was kindness - that was all he knew to do whenever someone got close. More importantly, she grew on him enough to where he wanted to open up and heal his old wounds.

Carl and Sophia also played a significant role in his new life. The adventureous children proved that despite the condition of the world around them, they both appeared to have something positive to live for which kept them both resilient and youthful. He dreaded having to look after them due to his own lack of parenting, but they made the experience quite enjoyable. Not only did the kids bring happiness, they even proved to be useful when needed. He envied their friendship at times - growing up he never had the opportunity to have a best friend.

Carl ignored the pain erupting in his left calf to continue his trek out of the wooded area as an upcoming parking lot appeared in the distance. It wasn't until he stopped to tie his shoe did he notice movement in the bushes behind him, making him grab for Sophia's ankle. Before they could alert Daryl of more impending danger, the culprit finally revealed itself - a blue pitbull pup no older than six months scurried from its hiding place, tail wagging and backside raised as if poised to play.

While Daryl was up ahead with Amy keeping watch for any walkers in the area, the twelve-year-olds both had become preoccupied with the pup stalking behind them. "Wow where did she come from? Its been forever ago since we've seen dogs around anymore." Sophia questioned, holding her hand out for the pup to sniff.

Carl knitted his eye brows together, "What do you mean _she_? For all we know it could be a boy."

"In your dreams," Sophia mocked rolling her eyes, as she ran her hand over the pup's soft fur on the scruff of its neck. "It has pretty eyes just like a girl."

The pup fell into a comfortable sense of security now that it realized Carl and Sophia had no intent on chasing or devouring it, playfully nipping at their fingers everytime they went to pet it. By now Sophia found herself laughing as she had the pup on its back tickling its stomach while it tried kicking her fingers away with its hind legs. "Its really lucky it didn't get eaten by a walker. I wonder where its mom is." Sophia glanced around the grassy area for any other signs of life.

Carl unshouldered the back pack and began rummaging around in the big pocket, "Poor little guy's been on his own for so long, I bet he's really hungry." He pulled out a peanut butter granola bar and a can of viena sausage. The pleasing aroma of fresh meat helped the pup approach the boy immediately, gobbling up the sausages before it proceeded to lick Carl's hand.

Amy found it diffcult to understand the Daryl Dixon's resilient attitude towards survival, especially after all the trouble they endured. Danger was no longer foreign to her at this point, but it did bother her a little that she had taken a life the previous night. What was the most troubling was that fighting was necessary key for her survival - only problem was she didn't know how to fight.

Daryl wordlessly eyed her, "You're queit. That's a first for someone whose always asking questions lil Amy." he commented, falling into step with the much younger girl, towering over her.

She couldn't help but smile, not just at his first attempt at having a sense of humor but the latest string of nicknames he began labeling her with lately. Lil Amy, Lil Palmer, Blondie, Doll - it brought back the sensation of butterflies running rampant in her stomach, reminding her of the affection she had for him beginning on the day they met.

"Lil Amy? I think I'm beginning to miss it when you called me blondie. Then again doll sounds cuter than both of them."

Daryl looked down at her with somewhat of a smirk playing at the corner of his mouth. He threw a hand of caution to the wind, "Meh."

"Meh?"

He rubbed a dirty hand through his hair, "I don't like that one much anymore," the redneck studied her further, keeping mental notes on her behavior as she avoided as much eye contact as possible. Daryl wasn't an expert when it came to women and their emotions, but he wasn't slow either - women were always trying to save men from their true feelings and keep undercover. He tossed the back pack down before lowering himself to the grassy hill. "You know, it wasn't your fault what you did back there."

The blonde looked up at him with skepticism surfacing in her eyes.

Daryl continued, "You and I both know if you didn't protect yourself, that crazy bitch would've killed you first. Now look, I'm not telling you to grab a gun and go all wild woman and shit on me, but you need to learn how to fight if you want to stay alive and kicking in this world. Because if you don't then your ass is grass little girl and I'm not lying to you, I can't always be there to save you. Your days as a damsel in distress are pretty much over."

Hearing him voice his concerns for her safety helped her open her eyes to the truth - at some point sooner or later she would have to defend herself if placed in danger once again. As much as she hated violence and guns it would be her best chance of survival.

Amy brushed her bangs out of her face, "I'm not stupid Daryl, I had that figured out after we left camp. Its just... I've never fought for any given reason in my entire life. Not even a high school cat fight with my worst enemy - for fucks sake before all this happened I was a cheerleader at my school. What reason did I have to learn how to shoot a gun? The most important things in my life at the time were finding the best dress for prom, graduating with all my friends, college applications, and making varsity cheer for senior year."

"Well damn. That right there says enough."

She scoffed lightly, "Shut up. It sounds stupid, but its all I ever knew was to be a normal everyday person. I want to learn how to handle myself, how to shoot a gun without flinching. But all I can think is how useless I am to the group. Rick and Shane are cops so it's simple when it comes to firing a gun. Glenn knows Atlanta like the back of his hand - without him we wouldn't know where to hunt for supplies. Everybody has a role in our group but me and I'm sick of it. I agree with you one hundred percent that what you're saying is the best solution yet," she turned her entire body to face him, her face pleading, "Can you teach me how to shoot a gun?"

"Long as you don't shoot my balls off, I ain't complaining." Daryl responded back.

He had only expected an excited squeal or maybe even an endless series of thank you's, what he didn't expect was for her to lay her head on his strong shoulder. Her blonde hair cascaded down his arm as it did it the car, only this time she pulled her body closer to him. She wrapped both of her small arms around his bicep, somewhat nuzzling her nose against him. The feeling was nice, only he wasn't quite sure how to respond, so he just sat there. "Thanks Daryl, you're the best. I'm beginning to realize how lucky I am to have you around." she joked, stroking a finger on his bicep.

What did this all mean? Could it be possible? The butterflies running rampant and the loss of breath from her being close to him only proved his deepest fear had come true - Daryl Dixon was falling for Amy. It was as wonderful as it was terrifying to have strong feelings towards her. He couldn't help but think to himself.

_"If only you knew how I feel about you." _he thought.

Both of the young adults were too embroiled in their moment, they failed to notice the absence of the younger group members until they finally caught up with them. "Hey where the hell have you two been?" Daryl asked rising to his feet.

Carl swallowed the lump forming in his throat, his uncomfortable state had to be clearly detectable by Daryl. Sophia didn't exactly help the situation with her constantly fiddling with the hem of her shirt, so she hid the ticks by setting down the back pack. Both youngsters turned towards one another for help until they finally spoke up together, "We were tying our shoes." they answered.

_"Weird."_ he thought to himself, taking note on their obviously unusual behavior. He tossed a hand to the air before pulling his crossbow by the back from Amy's back pack, peering into the scope.

Watching Daryl manuver his head from side to side flared Amy's curiosity further, Carl and Sophia as well, both children shielding the blare of the sun. "Do you see anything out there?" Amy asked looking off into the distance.

He lowered the crossbow to waist level, "WalMart. Only a few walkers limping around in the parking lot, but other than that it's as clean as a whistle. With good aim and a clear head you can't go wrong popping any heads with a gun. Looks like you might get that shooting practice after all blondie. " he turned over to retrieve the back pack containing the gun. The back pack also containing an unwelcomed guest.

Carl and Sophia immediatly lept over in a panic to stop the redneck before he could make a grab for the bag, especially if it moved without any assistance. "Hey Daryl!" Carl yelped stealing Daryl's attention away momentarily. "Well... how do you know what, uh, a few walkers is?"

Sophia just about did a face palm. The next time they needed to come up with a lie, Carl wouldn't be the one to tell it.

"Well hell it ain't too many to take on or too little for it to get too boring." his fingers tugged at the zipper yanking it from place as he felt around the large pocket. His hand stalled upon hearing both voices only more frantic than before, now offering to carry the back pack. As Daryl would pull with force Carl and Sophia would yank back with more force, the older man clearly aggitated while the younger two clearly panicked. "Now look here children, you truly value your arms you best let go before I make you into amputees." he spoke with a wicked smirk, anything but jokingly.

"An amputee? What does that mean?" asked Sophia.

"It means no arm lil girl. Now let go or-" he yelped in surprise in pain when he felt a nip to his hand, tugging on his flesh. His hand shot out of the pocket before Carl and Sophia's "friend" leaped out onto the startled hunter. Daryl blindly swiped at the pup's licks to his face before eventually shoving it away - knowing his presence wasn't welcomed by the man, the pup fled to the comforting arms of an astonished Amy, who held it tight. "What the- where'd that damn dog come from?!" he layed sprawled out on the grass, flipping over before getting onto his knees.

Amy turned her body away with puppy in her arms as if it would be meaningful to shield it from Daryl's gaze. "When I stopped to tie my shoe, it came out from the bushes." Carl hesitantly explained.

Before he could protest or argue any further, Daryl balanced himself back onto his feet stepping too far to the left when he felt something underneath his boot. It was an empty can of viena sausage - not just a simple empty can but _his _last can he had packed for himself. At this point now Carl, Sophia, and puppy had taken refuge by the safety of Amy who wasn't too sure how to put a handle on this. See Daryl was a little angry.

If anyone had witnessed Daryl Dixon when angered, they were familiar with the stages before all hell broke loose. First, a vicous scowl would appear on his face followed by heavy breathing only coming from his nostrils. Next, he would ball up a fist and raise it as if prepared to strike. And finally, when he would resort to violence sometimes he would grit his teeth and unleash a piercing growl.

Daryl angrily kicked the can, sending it flying into the bushes "You gave him my last can of vienna sausages." he cried out in defeat more so anger, motioning to the empty can. After spending an eventful night protecting the three of them, the least he was entitled to was a small reward. A reward gobbled by some animal plucked out of the woods.

"Daryl," Amy handed the pup over to Sophia before slowly moving towards the hunter, arms raised in a surendering manner, "It's just a puppy. How could it possibly bring harm to us?"

He pointed at the pup shaking in Sophia's arms, "I'll tell you everything that can go wrong if we keep that damn mutt. The little shit can bark at the wrong place at the wrong time, by that I mean signalling that there's food in close range for walkers. More importantly, it doesn't have a problem gobbling up the little food we have left - by taking away my food, that makes me liable to starve. Meaning there ain't room for the both of us."

"No." Sophia shrieked in fear, that Daryl would force the defenseless pup to be releasesed from their care. "Please don't send her back, she won't make it if we leave her here all alone. Carl and I can look after her from now on, we promise it won't cause you any trouble."

Carl nodded his head, "Yeah, we'll take responsiblity for everything. We'll feed him, give him baths, and we can probably teach him not to bark. Some of dad's friends from work trained police dogs, they even taught me how to do it too. _He _won't be trouble at all."

Sophia knitted her eyebrows together, angry that he continued that debate into the conversation. The minute Carl turned himself towards her, the first thing that caught his view was Sophia's tongue poked out for him to see. He could only respond by doing the same as well.

Before Daryl could continue to rant any farther, he felt a set of soft hands wrap around his caloused hands. It took him a moment to register the fact that it was Amy who was standing before him, now wielding a soft expression on her face as she did in the mall. " Shit, do you really have to do this now?" he asked her.

"Yes I do Daryl, because it's senseless to abandon a defenseless animal here in the woods. It's like leaving behind a child. FYI, having a dog around can't be all bad - for all we know it could be useful." Amy argued, having placed her point on the table. "Just let it stay. Please." she said in a pleading baby voice.

Daryl closed his hand into a fist, doing so repeatedly while pacing around in a straight line. Adding the dog to their group would be another mouth to feed, making it more difficult especially when they were traveling on foot. He locked eyes with the children who looked back heart broken and sad, even the pup was intelligent enough to whimper as if helpless. He grumbled in annoyance, "Fine. You can keep your little furball, but only if you do one thing. You name it before tonight so I can know what to call it if it pisses me off."

Daryl only shut his eyes tight when he heard the three of them cheering in a celebrative manner, only removing his hands when he felt Amy's soft lips quickly peck his cheek. Then again maybe keeping the puppy around was a good idea, especially if it meant earning a kiss from Amy was the prize.

"I just have one question though Daryl." Sophia said.

"What's that?" Daryl retorted back to the young girl.

Sophia meekly trailed her eyes at the pup, up to Daryl's questioning face then back to the pup. "Is it a boy or a girl?"

Daryl didn't say any words or make any sarcastic remarks or even make any threats. He couldn't find the words to fit the scenario. He just did the god of face palms, groaning as he dragged himself towards the Wal-Mart parking lot with Amy, Carl, Sophia and puppy in tow.

**Like a lawyer has many important cases for court, I knew this was one of the more important chapters so far because it begins to deepens the nature of Daryl and Amy's relationship along opens up with some of Daryl's background. It is amazing how the past can affect us as people in the future along with the people we come into contact with. I kept Carl and Sophia pretty busy working together in this chapter, because if adults can't catch a break the kids definitely can't sit it out either. The two of them discovering the puppy in my storyline was an idea I had which was in an earlier poll, but Amy was meant to find it - that didn't work out the way I expected it to. The thought of Carl and Sophia trying to hide a puppy from Daryl sounded more hilarious XD. We shall see how the adding puppy to the group goes for Daryl and the others, until then take care. **

**-Beachbunnyluvsu**


	13. Magnum

I do no own the Walking Dead or its characters, but sometimes I wish I did! The creator told me all I can do is to come up with my own story, so I gladly took his advice. However, I do have ownership of the characters Nick Peletier, JoJo Hall, Blake Taylor, Madison Rucker, Juan, and Kyndall Jones for this story as well as Life Goes On - be sure to check it out as I will be updating! And yes I'm back, gone but never for good.

I meant to update back when prom took place, but congrats to those who attended their high school prom, I hope you had a lovely evening. I've been doing some major planning on all of my stories whenever I'm not tied to school, work, or family time. As far as Daryl's age goes, I took someone's advice and made him older than I intended before. In this story he is thirty-one years old, so now I have to fix a previous chapter. Please enjoy!

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It was early in the morning, but not too early to where the sun barely revealed itself over the horizon. Her eyes were sealed shut from the heaviness of sleep keeping her from stirring from the deep sleep, until a repeated noise rattled the RV awaking her in a startled manner. Jocelyn Hall had always been familiarized to be a heavy sleeper, opposite of her older sister Julie who slept as light as a feather.

The banging resumed once again followed by a series of laughing fits far too masculine to belong to any female group member - her father Tyrese would usually send Chris, Julie's boyfriend, every morning to wake her when she was the only person absent in the morning. However, Blake, Kyndall, Juan, and Nick would often accompany Chris with his early morning task of awaking the younger Hall sibling from her deepend slumber.

"Wakey wakey eggs and bacey." Kyndall spoke in a sing song voice, mixing along with the voices of the other boys. Hearing the deep base of his voice put a smile on her face.

_"That boy. He's always been the one to try and make get a laugh. No matter what time of day!"_ she thought to herself, giggling lightly at what may possibly be the group's newest example of a human alarm clock. And it was an alarm much more musical to her ears than any cheesy early morning ringtone.

Tossing the covers off her warm skin, Jocelyn pulled the covers off her legs before lifting her entire body from the small bed witheld in the RV, proceeding into her usually practiced morning routine. Instead of a normal shower, she substituted it by rubbing scented soap onto her washcloth then scrubbed it all over her body - technically it wasn't exactly considered a shower without a bathtub and spraying hot water, but it was much better than no form of bathing at all.

Unlike many mornings which required her an immediate awakening, she took this morning to place more time into her physical appearance. After applying her foundation, tending to her hair, and adding a finishing touch of liquid eyeliner the fifteen-year-old was shining bright like a voluptuous diamond. It wasn't that she was so superficial that she felt she required make-up. No JoJo was the polar opposite of any shallow girl - she was a teenager for goodness sake, a teenager hoping to capture one of the group member's attention.

The question was, how long would it take for him to notice her?

"Jocelyn? Jocelyn! Girl it's going to be Christmas and your birthday by the time you get through in there." Tyrese's deep voice muttered through the door, followed by more knocking.

The young girl had just finished placing in the spider bites piercings into her lower right lip, the ones which almost lead to her funeral arrangements after her father made the discovery. This ended her morning routine just in time to answer back to her father. "Daddy for the last time, I don't answer to that name anymore. It's JoJo now, remember?"

"Oh Lord, not this shit again," Tyrese massaged his temple over his head at his youngest child. Ever since elementary school, Jocelyn or JoJo as she had preferred to go by now, had always been the daddy's girl while Julie was always mommy's little princess. Even in her best dresses, the adventerous child developed a passion for getting dirty, or maiming herself from various scrapes and cuts from whichever masculine activity they did together. "Whatever name you go by, it's fine by me. As long as you come from this Winnebago I won't be back having this discussion with you."

The door unexpectedly popped open, startling the father of two to where he nearly tripped over his own feet, "Then it looks like this conversation is over now that I'm done. You never get a girl preoccupied while she's getting ready. It already takes long enough." the teenager girl innocently smiled patting her old man on the shoulder, as she casually exited the RV.

It hadn't been the first time Tyrese had to scold his youngest daughter nor may it be the last. He was one of those parents who had always prayed heavily that his children would be the opposite of himself as a teenager. He'd been the wrong type of boy for the good kind of girl - the type of boy to strip studious, hard working girls of their innocence.

JoJo ventured on until she reached the dead campfire which now consisted of charred strips of wood and debris. Sheltered under the large oak tree nearby were Blake, Kyndall, and Juan - all boys had beads of sweat rushing down their well-toned bodies as they each did their set of push ups. With Blake not surprisingly leading the tough work out session with persistent encouragement directed to his friends. Being the one who was most proficient in sports, a fullback before the infection, Blake was no stranger to drills and work outs.

She lost sight of her main objective that morning all because her eyes just so happened to linger on a girl's most sinful desire. Boys. More particularly the one boy she most desired to have as hers. JoJo didn't capture herself staring until _he _leaped onto his own feet and latched eyes onto her own before waving. Feeling slightly awkward about being caught staring the young girl quickly scurried to a different location to ease her embarrassment.

She would've went searching for Julie, Chris, Nick, or Madison but everyone had their own agendas. Madison and Blake would surely want time together without the company of a third wheel. Nick was nowhere to be found. Juan, being in his early twenties, agreed with Rick to take part in their search. And Julie acted as if she were too preoccupied with Chris - likely because she was still upset when JoJo took their father's side after their parent's nasty divorce. How could he possibly be at fault when _his wife_ had the affair with her boss? The divorce led to the rebellion rising in the sisters, with JoJo secretly hoping it would bring their parents back together.

At age fourteen, the free spirited JoJo had received two underage alcohol citations and house arrest while sixteen year old Julie's trouble circled around traffic tickets. There was much disrespect in both parent's households - although they didn't get along regularly, Julie did have her sister's back when they aided one another in avoiding consequences. Surrounded by friends and family then, JoJo Hall sometimes felt more like a fifth wheel now than part of the group.

_He _felt a surge of guilt watching JoJo cutting across the camp with her shoulders hunched. Seeing such a lively, beautiful girl look so broken as if she couldn't exactly secure a place without a significant other or close companion was heart wrenching. For once, he realized he wasn't the only one who longed to share a close bond as well.

Just as JoJo predicted, the women had gone to the lake earlier to wash dirty clothing while the men followed through with plans to search more ground. It came as a surprise when she noticed Nick accompanying Carol and the other women - she had anything but gently snatched the clothes he'd held out for her. She was more than likely angered by her son's actions the previous night, especially after his history with abusing substances.

Nick cringed inwardly when his mother roughly yanked a pair of pants from his grasp, "Why are you mad?"

"Because you make me mad," Carol slid out through gritted teeth as she hung the damp pants, "Don't you remember why you ended up in juvenile detention in the first place? And yet I catch you with cigarettes Nicholas James Peletier. Cigarettes! I thought you learned from your mistakes. How would you feel if your sister started drinking by thirteen, or doing drugs?"

The nervous teenager avoided her disappointed eyes, somewhat pleading for Lori to calm his furious mother and her ranting. Lori shook her head, "Don't look at me for this one kid. If you ask me you'll have to cruise through this until its done." she returned her attention to the clothes line hanging, handing Andrea and Jacqui each clothing pins.

Nick sighed deeply with regret, "Mom... I'm not about that like I was before. I only dared to pull the menthols out because I was worried about Sophia. I never knew how to handle stress normally, so I turned to pharmaceutical and recreational help. I mean, we can't talk about her without thinking the worst has happened. And it kills me now than ever knowing I can't protect her like before."

"Look, you know I love you. I always will love you and your sister, but you have got to take life serious for once Nick. Especially with all the danger surrounding us now. Do you really think you can protect a twelve-year-old when you can't even act mature? I want to trust you, but how do I know you won't fall back into your old habits?" Carol asked.

The sandy haired teenage boy nervously chewed his lip as he rocked on the balls of his feet. His mother did have a valid point as he had always promised he would steer clear of trouble - not that he had an uncontrollable addiction problem, he never knew how to cope with all the past and present stress. "I honestly don't know mom. But I do know this: I might not be the model citizen, but I'm _nothing_ at all like dad." he said painfully.

He couldn't dare to witness her reaction to the ghost of their past, something so difficult to stomach when discussed. Andrea gripped one of the shirts tightly, wordlessly watching the teenager turn on his heels and flee the scene.

Jacqui quickly offered some assurance to a guilty Carol, "Let him go honey, he only doesn't like what you say because he knows its the truth. You're the parent which means you set the boundaries and rules for his greater good. But at the same time you have to trust Nick will learn from his mistakes and grow into a young man." she said. the African-American woman offered the widow and mother a comforting hug while witnessing the boy leave.

Andrea flicked back her sweaty blonde locks from her face, "Teenagers. Don't worry. In the end after the screaming and kicking, they usually come back apologizing and begging for forgiveness."

Hanging an over sized shirt and some pants, Lori scoffed noisily at Andrea's comment, "Screaming and kicking? You act as if its meant to be frequent - don't give me a heart attack. After all I do have a child who will be thirteen soon."

Carol snickered, "Me too."

JoJo at this point had felt like giving up on her small quest for companion. All the people she felt most comfortable with were much too busy in their own worlds she was now the only one left out. She had expected Nick to halt in his tracks and greet her at the most - instead he had only breezed past her and didn't even spare a look. After some time, she sighed inwardly when reality finally sunk in, _"Now I feel bad thinking he was being a dick. He probably had another fight with his mom. And knowing them both, one of them had to have mentioned Sophia." _

Shaking her head, she continued down toward the area of the woods which was covered by trees. Over by this area were the women, doing the usual chores needed to be complete by the women around a household. Unlike Lori, Carol, Jacqui, or Andrea whose focus was mainly on accomplishing their goal, JoJo had always avoided doing chores or any heavy duty work at home. Not that she was too lazy to complete a task so simple such as homework, it was all about the bad attitude more so than laziness.

Too embroiled in her deep thoughts as she approached the trees, the teenage girl felt her body instinctively jerk when she heard someone call out to her. Why had she bothered reacting the way she did when it was only Jacqui, beaming down politely at the younger girl? Jacqui had taken a small moment to return to the RV for a drink, but stoped along the way when she noticed Tyrese's daughter.

"Well hello there sweetie. It's actually a first to see you walking around all quiet and by yourself. I was just going to grab myself something to drink. Are you doing alright?" Jacqui questioned folding a towel.

JoJo uncomfortably coughed into her hand when she heard Jacqui acknowledged her quiet and unlikely behavior. Sure, she knew she already was one of the liveliest members that had just joined Rick's group, but she hadn't expected for someone to know her characteristics so quickly, "I'm fine, thank you for asking ma'am. But if you don't mind me asking, how did you know so soon I'm not being myself today? We barely got the chance to know one another."

"Honey, I may have worked for the city of Atlanta, but I was also looking to find a career more suitable for myself the moment I earned my degree."

"A degree in what?" JoJo asked.

"Psychology. It took me over twenty years to realize how important a degree was over hopping from job to job. I had about another six months to go at this local junior college I was attending. That was until the dead decided to uproot themselves and come crashing down on my chance of finally becoming a registered psychologist." Jacqui joked, chuckles racking her body uncontrollably while the teenager before her had snorted herself at the comment. "So _JoJo, _do you just so happen to know how to fold clothes or are your arms feeling sore as well?"

It wasn't the question asked that made the younger girl stiffen somewhat, it was the fact that Miss Jacqui had placed some heavy emphasis on her nickname she constantly reminded people of. Of all the adults Jacqui was the only one who had gotten her name correct without any mistakes or having to face corrections. She may have been older than the crowd she ran with, but JoJo felt a sense of trust, respect, and belonging now that she was beside Jacqui.

Who would've come to thought a complete stranger would fulfill the space as a maternal figure and role model a teenager would need. She politely smiled back, "Yes ma'am I know fully well how to fold clothes, and no last time I checked my arms we're functional. And don't worry about the drinks, I'll go grab us some."

As she raced through the tall and untamed grass towards the RV, JoJo wasn't at all bothered that she seemed so desperate for someone to simply talk to, that she found companionship in an adult likely enough to be her grandmother. If anything it felt good knowing that there would always be that one role model in Jacqui that she wished she had when her father was too busy or stressed to talk. Or more importantly when her mother was she was too preoccupied in a man who wasn't her children's father or her husband.

After today she knew Jacqui would never disappoint her.

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Daryl stomped on the crisp green grass beneath his boots until he finally reached the hard ground of the parking lot of Wal-Mart. He could hear Amy, Carl, and Sophia compliment their newest addition to their group, and possibly his newest sworn enemy - he could've sworn the pup eye balled him with great intensity after he denied them of a pet. And he indeed wasn't imaginating things, every time he glanced back the furry little bastard shot him the evil eye.

To add onto his torment, Sophia wouldn't allow him to live down her question of the dog's gender, even after the hunter had insisted they wait until they were situated inside the vicinity of the store. Sadly for him, he couldn't handle her persistentance any longer and delivered the answer to her question. It was a girl. Both Sophia and Amy couldn't help but refrain from cheering happily in victory, exchaning high fives and well-practiced handshakes.

"Yeah yeah laugh it up, it's a girl yada yada." Carl ran his thumb and fingers together to mimic the girls speaking. When all in reality he knew he would be doing the very same if the verdict had come back it was a boy.

Sophia cocked an eyebrow, "If it had been a boy you wouldn't have kept quiet either."

Only turning his head around, Daryl's blue eyes focused on Amy who now strongly held the pup in her arms, laughing from the pup playfully nipping at her ear. She cooed while scratching the pup's ear, "Oh you poor little baby. I'm so glad those nasty walkers didn't grab a hold of you. Don't worry Carl, Sophia, Daryl and I will look after you from now on, and all the others too. Just wait until they meet you."

_"Damn. I'm kind of jealous over here."_ Daryl thought of her affection now heavily invested in the new pet.

All their commotion about the pup, who has yet to be named, turned their attention away from the walkers wandering aimlessly in the vicinity as if they hadn't been in close proximity to food for days. Just as the hunter speculated from afar, there were only a few as in four. He ushered his younger members to take cover behind a black Impala before they were spotted.

"Get down get down, hurry up." Daryl whispered to Amy, Carl, and Sophia who did as they were told scurrying beside their protector. Amy carefully handed the pup over to Carl, who didn't dare loosen his grip on the pup's light fur. Scooting his body on the burning pavement, Daryl peered from behind the safety of the vehicle to lock in the intended targets in his sight. "You thought long and hard about those shooting lessons Amy?" he questioned her.

The teenager felt her eyes widen at the man's question, especially since he was granting her the chance to use a gun. A real loaded gun with rounds. "Y-yeah." she stuttered out much too quickly. Amy nervously eyed Daryl while watching him unshoulder the backpack before he proceeded to pull out the magnum and place it delicately in her hands.

The metal on the gun felt cool on her skin yet it sent chills down her spine. The closest she ever got to handling such a powerful weapon was whenever her father would proudly display his gun collection, only allowing her to hold it of course. Michael Palmer knew good and well his youngest daughter hadn't been the rough and dangerous type like her sister. During fishing trips, Amy would be the one to discreetly toss the captured fish back while Andrea would always yell at her for tossing out their dinner. The blonde blinked back fresh tears at fond memories of her father and mother, toying with the many scenarios considering their fate.

She constantly had to remind herself they had to be in a place better than the world they were living in. There was nothing she or Andrea could've done to save them, so it was important she could protect herself and remain safe. It was sooner or later in which she had to learn to fire a gun. The moment was now.

She clicked off the safety, "Wait. What if I miss?" she asked.

Daryl blatantly responded back, "Then you shoot again, but make sure you aim always. You only have so much time and so many bullets until they start closing in."

Nodding her head in response, Amy quickly revealed herself to the impending danger only a few feet away. The minute the walkers met eyes with the small group, they hissed through rotting teeth in response before slowly approaching Daryl and the children. Leveling the barrel to the intended target, Amy closed her eyes as she pulled the trigger and allowed the round to go free. Besides the round all she heard was the pup barking in the background.

"Don't close your eyes Amy." Daryl warned her, taking the opportunity to gradually shove Carl and Sophia farther away from the upcoming walkers.

Amy slowly felt her breathing increase once she realized she missed and that the walkers were only getting closer. "I didn't think it would be that loud," she aimed for the head on the same walker once again, but the movement only made it difficult to lock on a target. She outwardly began to panic when she missed the next two shots, turning back to the redneck for assistance, "Daryl... I-I can't do this, they're moving too fast and I can't make a shot."

"You already started, you best finish it. Keep your eyes trained on the head _with_ your eyes wide open. Take a deep breath and let it out right before you take a shot."

After allowing herself some more space from the walkers snarling before her, Amy relaxed her stiff muscles in order to get her composure together. Complying with what Daryl told her she followed all rules. Her eyes were open and focused on her target. And she took the deepest breath and let it out before squeezing the trigger again.

The four of them were all quite surprised to witness this shot hitting its target right between the eyes. Amy watched in anticipation as the first walker went limp and collapsed to the asphalt in a heap.

Carl couldn't help but celebrate for every occasion, so this occasion was special since one of the younger group members successfully learned how to fire a gun. He and Sophia had many steps to take before even holding a gun. "Yeah! Amy way to go!" he waved his arms over his head.

Daryl couldn't refrain from smirking, he was too proud of a teacher. Shaking his head at Amy's newly added sense of enthusiasm he waved his hand off to her. Together with Carl, Sophia, and the pup they patiently awaited as the teenager cleared out the upcoming walkers with a shot to the head. He had officially turned the reluctant young woman into a trigger happy enthusiast. With all the walkers dead with a clean shot to the head, they raced into the store but not before Daryl pried the gun from Amy's fingers.

"W-wait. What are you doing?" Amy protested, standing on her toes to gain a few inches from her short status. Every time her finger would barely graze the gun Daryl would jerk it higher than she could reach. After about the ninth attempt she finally surrendered but not before pounding her fists into his chest. "Jerk." she muttered in defeat.

"I've been called worst by women. Today's lesson is done before you shoot us all." The hunter was very much satisfied in his victory for the day, proudly displaying a taunting smirk to the stunned teenager as he deposited the gun back into the back pack. He proceeded past the shopping carts further taunting Amy by successfully dodging the kick she had intended for his leg.

"We'll see about that." she spoke before adding a soft pout.

The blonde was completely oblivious that her full, pink lips had become the object of Daryl's unwilling affection. The redneck was very much thankful the girl couldn't hear the sound of his rapidly beating heart as he walked alongside her. Their main objective now was to rest and collect more food and all he could think about was what it would be like to kiss those lips.

Sophia had placed the shaking pup into the cart while acting so careful as to prevent the frightened animal from urinating on itself. The pre-teen grazed her fingers on the pup's soft fur, making her realize she was now safe. Having witnessed the scene with Daryl and Amy unfold not too long ago, she leaned over to Carl so the others leading the way couldn't hear. "Amy and Daryl sure are getting pretty friendly huh?" she raised her eye brows suggestively.

Carl took in his best friend's words as he too had watched Amy and Daryl's playful squabble over the gun. Although Amy had been the initiator, Daryl hadn't been quick to reject her flirting. Not to forget how he allowed her to curl herself up beside him on the hillside. "You know she likes him." He whispered biting his tongue to quit from laughing as he watched her astonished expression. "I overheard her and Glenn talking about it in the CDC. I told you so didn't I?"

"Yeah. Now that you mention it, it's really obvious." Sophia lightly giggled watching how Amy absolutely couldn't keep her dazed eyes off of Daryl while he faced another direction looking searching the store.

"How do you know for yourself Soph?" Carl questioned.

Sophia retorted back, "I have an older brother who had a couple of serious girlfriends from school. I didn't really like the first one, Camille Walters, cause she tried bossing Nick around _all _the time. She would call him names, make fun of him, and even try talking to other boys. She was such a... a." she had a certain word on her tongue but she couldn't exactly get it out until...

The sheriff's son had no trouble saying the word at all, "A bitch."

Carl nonchalantly waited for his friend to finish the story, but Sophia was absolutely gobsmacked she nearly ran the shopping cart into the display holding the batteries. Ever since they were nearly killed by a madman, Carl just couldn't clean up his newly discovered filthy mouth. Lori would most definitely not approve. "Y-yeah. That's exactly what I was thinking, but not _exactly_ what I wanted to say. Anyway, Bailey Jones was the one Nick was really head over heels for. They texted each other all night, snuck out to parties; he even had her hiding out in the pantry after mom and dad would come home."

"Oh... wow," Carl hadn't been too sure how to respond to the fact that Sophia's brother had quite the list of _colorful_ activities. Some he swore his father and the D.A.R.E. program officers he would never do. Drugs. Drinking. Making out with girls.

As they continued down the main aisle towards the school supplies, Carl and Sophia were quite startled when the puppy suddenly began growling. They watched the fur on the back of her back literally stand and her teeth bare viciously. Carl was the first to race to her side, nearly getting himself bitten in the process. "What's wrong girl? Did you smell something bad?"

By now Daryl was alarmed now that the dog had sensed some form of danger nearby. He carefully aimed his crossbow in every direction except the bystanders beside him, "Yeah, she must've got a whiff of something bad. Real bad" he responded. The three youngsters and the defensive pup awaited nervously as they watched Daryl scan the area around them, each and every aisle and corner. The moment he resurfaced there was a sense of relief among the children, but not the pup.

"There ain't nothing alive in here. I told you that mutt would be more empty-headed than Shane." Daryl stated matter-of-factly, pointing an accusing finger at the animal still growling and barking madly in the cart. As expected the pup directed her aggression towards Daryl as if cursing him in her own language before she proceeded to bark out again. "Damn runt, I knew it. I knew it, I told you that damn dog would be a pain in my ass. She don't even like me enough to shut the hell up."

Amy scoffed in annoyance at how childish Daryl was now acting - here they were witnessing him was battling it out with a puppy over who was right. She quickly spoke on behalf of the panicked pup, "What are you talking about moron? It's a dog, how could she possibly be a problem?"

"The damn dog. I know I ain't no damn schizo cause I've seen that little monster eye ball me like it wants to rip my throat out. She's on a mission to terrorize me. I know that she knows that I know she's evil, but ya'll don't know cause the damn lil beast don't want ya'll to know." Daryl finally finished his exaggerated rant before the youngsters.

Amy scoffed before rubbing her temple while Carl and Sophia looked on to be either completely clueless or possibly in the early stages of suffering a migraine headache. All three had already been aware Daryl didn't agree on keeping the dog, but they didn't believe he would stress it to the point where he made absolutely no sense. Sophia shook her head in disdain before she calmly spoke over her peers, "Daryl I think I speak for the others when I say you really need to chillax."

The pre-teen girl calmly stood her ground before the redneck who jumbled words as if he was choking on a fish bone. He shot a fierce glare in her direction as she nonchalantly rocked on the heels of her shoes. Who was this little girl to tell him to chillax? Chillax? What the hell was that supposed to mean? Daryl certainly hadn't chillaxed or known anyone else who had to. He was finally beginning to feel he was getting too old to keep up with the younger crowd and their slang. Sophia said no more, just gingerly grabbed his hand leading him over to the empty McDonald's. The man was already in a booth before he had the chance to protest further. Amy and Carl parked the shopping cart across from the

Amy offered up her opinion also. "I'm going to take a stab in the dark and say my best guess is the _lengthy_ exposure to the heat." She nodded knowingly with the obvious hint of sarcasm, playfully smiling once Daryl glared and presented his favorite finger to her. Amy gasped dramatically, "Such negative behavior in front of the children Daryl."

"I. Don't. Give. A Little. Shit." he said in a sing-song while he swung his crossbow around, "All went to hell when the dead began to walk the earth, I'm pretty sure my _negative behavior_ is the last thing to damage these little darlings with." he motioned to Carl and Sophia seated nearby.

The pair continued to bicker on and on, having seemingly forgotten about their younger counterparts who sat back munching on caramel popcorn while tiredly looking at the next person to spit the next sarcastic line. Carl boredly twirled around in the bar stool until he couldn't take anymore, finally sticking his foot out to anchor it on one of the metal bars.

"I think they've gone at each other long enough, don't you think?" he questioned an equally agitated Sophia. She nodded hard in response before rolling her eyes into the back of her head. At this point and time the older pair continued to bicker continuously until Carl finally felt he couldn't take anymore. His stomach was loaded with sugar and his full bladder was now aching for him to handle his business. "I've got to go to the bathroom." he notified the others around him.

Daryl poked his head from the wall blocking the view from himself and the children. "Hold on now we're coming." he made a grab for the crossbow openly displayed on the counter.

"I'd prefer to you know, just go by myself." Carl interjected. By now he knew the importance of keeping a watchful eye and never going without weaponry. But it was only a trip to the bathroom. Did he really need a posse to follow him?

Sophia trailed not too far behind him, trying to catch up. "I can go with you Carl. If you want me to."

"That's the thing, I don't want you to. Thank you, but I can handle myself without you all Soph." The twelve-year-old boy turned away from his best friend whose feelings he had accidently crushed. Glancing out of his peripheral vision he noticed the pained look on the young girl's face. Ever since they had been paired up as friends at the camp they hardly spent any time away from one another. He turned to face her, "Look I'm sorry Sophia, I'm not trying to be mean. I just think I don't need company everywhere I go. I'll come right back I promise." And with that she, Daryl, and Amy wordlessly watched as the adolescent scooted into the men's rest room.

If he could stay at home by himself without any adult supervision, then there should be no problem with going to the restroom alone.

Settling into a stall as he handled his business, Carl stared off into open space thinking about being away from his parents. Would they be proud or upset knowing their son disobeyed the rule of being somewhere without an adult. Afterall, he was twelve and being accompanied with two other adolescent under the watchful eye of a foul mouthed redneck with a fierce temper.

In the beginning he had been nervous about having Daryl as the primary care giver all due to the intense showdown he had with his father and Shane - mainly because of the anger and blame Daryl invested into Rick after Merle disappeared. He'd witnessed the ugly altercation himself along with Sophia and the other children from the safety of the RV. Not to mention the minor damage Amy sustained in the men's opposing struggle. After so many days he and Sophia began to disregard all the gossip at camp surrounding the Dixon brothers, and made their own judgment on the man who saved them all.

He went to pull the lock from the door only to freeze dead in his tracks. For some unknown reason the hairs on the back of his neck stood up and his gut felt as if it plummeted from the top floor to the bottom. He was fearful but of what? Not exactly putting much thought into his actions, he quickly yanked open the door to calm his racing nerves. Carl could only wish he hadn't opened the restroom door before slamming and locking it.

The young boy leapt back onto the toilet once he watched the door violently jerk forward. He didn't even care at the fact that his left shoe was thoroughly soaked after he accidently dunked it in the toilet he stood above. The door jerked again followed by a series of agonizing growls and groans. Carl decided it was best to abandon this stall for the safety of another and not just pray he wouldn't get eaten - with all his strength he pulled himself up on the neighboring stall and grabbed for the metal bars above just as the walker stormed into the stall.

His hands were firmly wrapped around the bars and his feet planted on the top of the stall, thankfully out of reach of the walker which now had its attention focused on its meal. The walker donning a Wal-Mart smock swiped furiously at Carl's shoes in a hungry frenzy, growling more as it continued to miss. "No! No! Help! Help!" Carl screamed, kicking the reaching hands away. For the moment he swore he was as good as dead.

It would surely have been over, the walker got a firm grip on the frightened boy's ankle and leaned in repeatedly trying to force a bite from his struggling prey. All it took was one bite. What would his parents feel when Daryl give them the news? Fortunately it was a bite that never happened - an arrow forever stilled the hungry animal when it pierced its skull. Carl sighed heavily in relief when the walker's body slumped into the stall and its head landed directly into the toilet bowl.

He looked down below him, meeting the worried expressions of Daryl, Sophia, and Amy. With being next to the tallest person in the room Amy carefully guided a shaken Carl down to the ground, while keeping the difficult promise she would keep him from ever touching the walker at all. She couldn't blame him to be quite honest. Being this remotely close was scary as shit. "Jesus, Carl are you ok? It didn't bite or scratch you?"

Carl nervously shook his head, "No." Was he ever a lucky kid.

Daryl calmly retrieved his arrow from the walker who was currently taking a swim in the toilet. He pulled it up by the back of its collar before firmly ripping the arrow out in one swipe and finally allowing it to fall face first into the bowl. The redneck scowled in disgust, "

"Carl!" Sophia happily hugged her best friend ever so thankful he was alive. "I was so worried about you."

"I'm fine. If I had known he was here I probably could've taken him." Carl said far too confidently for someone who barely escape a painful and certain death from a flesh eating animal.

Rubbing the fresh blood from his arrow in the sink, Daryl loudly cackled to himself to where he absolutely had to toss his head back while roaring with laughter. "Kid you weigh a buck fifty soaking wet, maybe even less than fifty cents. You really think you could kick some ass with a size five foot and no meat on your bones? Even Sophia has some inches on you."

"Shut up! And for your information I'm a size six and a half in shoes." Carl stubbornly crossed his arms trying not to allow Daryl and his teasing of his late growth spurt get to him. After all, he couldn't help he was a late bloomer.

Daryl wiped the single arrow with a paper towel, "Sure in the baby shoes section of the Kids Foot Locker." He roared again in a fit of laughter as if he were a small child being tickled. Amy delivered an elbow to Daryl's ribs in Carl's defense, demanding he be quit taunting the younger boy with his newly added sense of humor. Sophia awkwardly stood there watching them all, also allowing her curious eyes to wander the bathroom until they landed on Wal-Mart. Yes, Wal-Mart the walker he was now, only because she didn't know the name he had before the world ended. Her chocolate eyes didn't leave his form until they landed on an unidentifiable object hanging from Wal-Mart's pockets.

Slowly approaching the stiff body the pre-teen girl carefully checked the deceased's pockets for the unknown valuable. She gasped in a hushed voice as she yanked free a set of car keys and a wallet from his pockets. She didn't get the opportunity to study them any further, "Sophia get away from it!" Amy yell behind her causing her to leap in a state of panic and nearly drop the wallet and keys.

Shaken and nervous the young girl immediately provided an explanation for her actions, something she had grown accustomed to when answering to her father. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. They were hanging out of his pockets, I just wanted to see what it was." Sophia spoke quickly, nearly causing herself to bite repeatedly on her tongue.

Amy choked back on the scolding words she originally had for Sophia, realizing her tone of voice had the girl assuming she was in trouble. The threat was long gone now that the walker was dead and there was no need for her overprotective drive to be in high gear. "No, you're alright. I'm sorry for yelling when I didn't need to. I just keep thinking he's going to pop up and grab you."

"Like the bad guy in the movies?" Carl playfully asked.

"Yeah. Like the bad guy in the movies." Amy responded with a small chuckle.

Daryl finally emerged from the sink area with all his bolts freshly cleaned of blood and placed neatly in his crossbow. Scoffing at Amy's unrealistic fear of a freshly killed walker returning to life a second time, he only wanted to prove her theory was completely wrong. "Oh please that shit's only in movies. This skinny shithead's gonna be taking a drink for a long time." He yanked at the walker's shirt collar and began gradually pulling Wal-Mart out of the toilet.

Amy shrieked in fear as well as disgust, the girly girl side of herself was overpowering at this point, "Ew! Daryl don't touch him!" The redneck blankly looked back at her with serious eyes yet with a tinge of playfulness fighting not to be evident. Even as he kept his eyes locked on hers he slowly placed his index finger on the walker's shoulder and gently poked it. "Stop it!" the redneck resumed his playful poking only he did it twice, "You do it again and I'm going to throw something at you." Amy warned. He began to lower his finger again slowly. "Daryl. Don't you dare."

Seeing this as an opportunity to land their own scare tactics, Carl and Sophia both whispered in one another's ears of the little plan they had devised against a whining Amy who was still begging Daryl not to pull the walker from the toilet. When the plan was set in motion the two twelve year olds impatiently waited for the perfect opportunity to strike - the minute an unsuspecting Amy took a few steps towards Daryl, the kids leaped at her making roaring sounds to imitate a walker. And just as expected Amy leaped in surprise and let out a scream. Satisfied their plan concluded the way it was meant to Carl and Sophia sealed their little stunt with a final act by both giving Daryl high fives.

Daryl shook his head in approval, exiting the stall, "Not bad, not bad at all."

Amy was currently raking her hands through her hair, very much stunned at the unexpected fright from two twelve-year-olds. With a smirk playing at the corner of her mouth she looked up and met the mischievous eyes of Daryl, Carl, and Sophia. "I hate you all! Why does everybody always insist on ganging up on me?" she said in a sing song voice, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet.

"Because, you make it too easy blondie."

Sophia quietly fiddled with the set of car keys while also studying the wallet and making several attempts to revive the phone. As they exited the restrooms, her focused staring caused her to bump right into Carl. "Infiniti. Wow, for someone whose young and now dead, he sure does own a really fancy car." she announced aloud for the others to hear.

"Huh?" Amy moved past the others to gently swipe the keys and wallet, studying the Infiniti symbol, license, and debit card. As she quietly mouthed what was on the license her deep blue eyes widened in sheer shock, causing her to slowly slide down into the booth before her. By now all eyes were on emotionless Amy as she kept her gaze fixed on the small plastic card.

"Amy? Hey Amy, what the hell?" Daryl repeatedly waved a hand before the teen. It wasn't until he closed the distance between the both of them and snapped his fingers before her, awaking her from her intense trance. "Now that you've come back to us all Amy, it's time we best-"

"Sixteen." Amy frigidly stated eyeing the license with half opened eyes. Carl and Sophia knotted their eyebrows in confusion while a painfully clueless Daryl scratched his head. "Sixteen. His name was Colton Wells, and he was born on April 4, 1994. He only turned sixteen recently, meaning he couldn't have been any higher than a junior in school. Food is food to the dead, not that it matters how old or young we are."

Daryl motioned for the keys, which Amy didn't hesitate to surrender, studying the symbol as much as the phone Sophia had. "I'd say our buddy Colton bit the hands that were feeding him, probably being a dick and probably maxxed out his old man's credit cards. It makes perfect sense that daddy would make him get a job to earn back every penny." Daryl finished sharing his version of Wal-Mart's back story. He lead the way to the store's entrance with the children and the mouthy pooch in tow.

Carl pointed to the keys the grown man held, "You make it sound as if he came from a rich family with lots and lots of money to swim in."

"With a fancy cell phone like that," Daryl pointed to the I-Phone concealed with a camouflage case, the one which Sophia was holding, "And an _Infiniti_, duh do you think so?" the redneck spoke in a goofy mock voice with his index and thumb on his stubble on his jaw. "How bout' ya'll go back and pat your man Colton on the back while I'm gone. Look's like we might have ourselves a nifty ride." Daryl swung the keys on his index finger with a smirk before turning back to get a look at the others.

Um yeah, only they didn't share the exact same look as he did. All three adolescents were meeting his excited eyes with wide, fearful eyes like a helpless deer caught in the headlights. He couldn't possibly be serious, could he? Then again if you knew Daryl and Merle Dixon for as long as they all did, you too would have difficulty always understanding Daryl's dry yet sometimes sarcastic sense of humor or repulsed at Merle's inappropriate attempt at a joke.

Daryl flinched away from them somewhat - he might as well quit at trying to get a laugh out of them. "What? I was only kidding round'." His assurance towards them clearly didn't lift their nerves. "My bad. Look back away from the doors and windows just to be safe. I'll be back in one piece."

He quietly slipped out of the Wal-Mart's entrance carefully ducking and dodging a path through the parking lot and its wreckage of abandoned cars. Daryl was wise enough to only click the unlock button on the key ring as opposed to using the lock button which was more likely to chirp loudly. He did this to every section of cars he approached, before sighing in defeat and looking elsewhere.

While walking alongside a heavily dented Tahoe Chevy, he was startled to find himself leaping from the unexpected pounding from the passenger's side of the vehicle. A female walker reaching past the highest level of decay scraped her nails against the window as she bared her visibly yellow teeth at him. Daryl scrunched his face in pure disgust as the retched thing behind the glass continued butting its pale face against the glass. "Ugh... I think I'll pass on a kiss sweetheart." he shook his head in disdain as he continued his trek.

He blew a breath of disappointment, contemplating on just quitting this nonsense and continuing on foot. They'd done most of their journey on foot anyway, plus the temperature had to be in the mid nineties, fuck it was hot just thinking where he was! He snickered to himself thinking about running face-to-face into more walkers without a car. _"Hell afterall I do have that damn dog to sacrifice as walker bait by tomorrow." _

His hand had accidently landed right on the keys long forgotten on the hot pavement, the most weight of Daryl's hand landed right on the alarm control which of course set off the alarm to the vehicle adjacent to him. He immediately snatched the keys before frantically pressing the unlock button and ending the alarm. He let out a whistle in appreciation at the thing of beauty before him: a white and unscathed 2011 Infiniti QX56 sitting in a lone parking stall. "Hello beautiful, where have you been when I needed an upgrade from that raggedy pick up truck?" he asked, unlocking the door and climbing into his heavenly dome. A smile played at the corner of his mouth while he rubbed the smooth wheel of the vehicle.

Amy and company jolted up from their positions at the McDonald's when they heard a brief beeping of a horn. Racing up to the sliding glass doors they were all watching in awe as the luxurious vehicle pulled up with a very mismatched driver. A muddied boot exited the car before the familiar redneck emerged completely. Daryl happily twirled the keys on his index finger before cooly leaning his body against the passenger's side. "So," he knocked lightly on the window, "How's about we pick up a few groceries?"

Amy, Carl, and Sophia's young eyes trailed up and down their new form of transportation. Amy had to admit it would be nice to get around faster and safer, plus the car was absolutely stunning. Exploring the features and hopeful CD collection, Carl was even more excited now than he had been riding in his father's squad car. And Sophia, the one holding the puppy, was relieved knowing a car meant less chance of facing walkers and getting back to her mother. They all exchanged questioning looks with each other as if trying to read all of their facial expressions - not surprisingly they all matched the excited glint in each other's when they all turned back to Daryl.

They all answered together when they spoke for themselves, "Hell yeah!" Even puppy chimed in as well, yipping in pure excitement. Today's turn of events were now beginning to get better. Daryl hopped out of his newly proclaimed vehicle and lead his group towards the shopping carts lined up for customers to take, Amy taking a shopping cart for herself, Carl and Sophia a cart to share together, leaving Daryl and puppy to work out their differences with a cart of their own.

Each cart was graciously wheeled off to the intended destination of the ecstatic shoppers

**_Looking out a dirty old window_**

**_Down below the cars in the city go rushing by_**

**_I sit here alone and I wonder why_**

Daryl and his miniature sidekick found themselves surrounded by various bottles of liquor left neatly unscathed and untouched. Daryl happily humming to himself as he further explored his choices consisting of Jack Daniels, Southern Comfort, Budlight, and armfuls of other alcohol choices consisting of beer, wine coolers, and straight hard liquors. He helped himself to anything he desired which really wasn't limited.

Picking up a twelve pack of Bud Light Platinum in one hand and another twelve pack of Budweiser, the redneck found he was torn between both brands of beer. Should he go with the pricey Platinum which always used to run up his tab? Or was the Budweiser the better choice? He looked at the Platinum. He looked at the Budweiser. Then he looked at the platinum again. This wasn't exactly an easy choice.

His deep blue eyes landed on the restless pup below him in the child's seat of the basket, tail wagging in frustration as to why she and the dirty redneck's process was going slower than anticipated. She stirred unhappily on her bottom up until the itch for mobility led her let out a few impatient yips. Daryl shot the puppy a menacing look, while speaking in a threatening tone. "Hush now! You best keep all that to yourself or you'll be walking."

Swearing under his breath he returned to the careful selection of his alcohol hunt - that is with the lack of any interruptions or technical difficulties. The glint in his eyes signaled he had finalized his decision on what would be staying and going - lowering both twelve packs into the shopping cart, he set his jolly sights on the Mike's Hard Lemonade and wine selections.

**_Friday night and everyone's moving _**

**_I can feel the heat but it's soothing_**

**_Heading down, I search for the beat in this dirty town_**

A ways from the liquor aisle and into the depths of the cosmetics and make-up aisle a couple of aisles from the clothing's place in the store was Amy, helping herself to all the lip gloss, eye shadow, nail polish, and make-up kits available. She'd strolled by the check-out lanes while trying to find Drew Barrymore, Emma Stone, Halle Berry and other Hollywood beloved beauties advertised on make up ads in the store.

The blonde definitely didn't forget to collect a few sticks of her favorite moisturizing Maybelline Baby Lips, and a few for Sophia and the other camp women.

Along the way to her destination she didn't forget to pick up a few magazines for herself. Cosmopolitan's magazines had entertaining quizzes on dating and whatnot while it discussed personal matters to subjects such as sex, a subject she wasn't comfortable disclosing to Andrea or the others yet. To invite them into the part of her complicated life she kept private from her parents was just unusual to share to women such as Lori, who often shared her own private sexual encounters deeply enclosed in the woods by the camp.

In her basket was numbering brands of nail polish, make up, and toiletries for the journey ahead of them. More than enough to go around for all the women - she'd learned she'd have more true friends if she were to be thoughtful than thoughtless before she left high school. After combing through the make up she swooped into the clothes and undergarments section, hoping to expand her limited wardrobe.

She emerged from the dressing room in what may have felt as if it were ten minutes when in actuality she spent up to forty minutes. Now wearing an orange Browning shirt with a camouflage buckmark and short black workout shorts to match the right sized black Toms found hanging from a shoe rack. With her toned cheer legs presentable to the public, her lean young body along with her lion tattoo made her appear with the higher level of maturity of a grown woman.

Matching pairs of bras, panties, and some rather chic clothes visibly stacked in her cart.

Face twisted into pure concentration, she divided her attention between the mirror and the hair magazine giving a tutorial on the perfect hair bow hairstyle. It was a hairstyle easier said to master than to actually perfect. She puckered out her lip in annoyance when the bow didn't come out the way it was supposed to be. She began undoing her hair and prepared to start over again.

**_Down town the young ones are going _**

**_Down town the young ones are growing_**

The ever-so-precocious twelve-year-old duo were making their rounds in the snack and cereal aisle. With two growing bodies to share one shopping cart full of food, Carl made an agreement with Sophia that they share whatever delectables were tossed into their grocery cart.

Having more inches on her male counterpart Sophia wheeled the cart with her strongest foot, allowing the cart to sail down the aisle as Carl knocked various food items into the moving basket. Cookies. Twinkies. Cereal. Chips. Fruit snacks. Beverages. With the world and its values lost forever, price tags labeled on food were definitely a figment of the past, making selections in food unlimited and free to take.

Sophia pulled two boxes of fruit smiles to present to Carl for his approval, smiling greatly when he gave her the say so. "Yes!" the dark-haired pre-teen chirped, sticking his thumb up in agreement. He tore open one of the packets to the fruit smiles as he allowed her to return from the shelf again, now holding up some pop-tarts. "Definitely a yes!" He hungrily chewed the soft fruit snacks, his focus now on finishing the last few instead of Sophia's next selection. He had already prepared to tell her yes thinking she got something tasty - he immediately changed his tune once he got a full view of what she brought him.

A nice and tall three dollar box of Raisin Bran, just to be clear yes that is the box with the upbeat and smiling sunshine holding two hearty scoops of raisins. "Here Carl, what do you think of these? They're one of my all time favorites." Sophia held the box higher to indicate her point on Raisin Bran actually being a delicious choice of cereal. Carl Grimes on the other hand wasn't allowing a smile to stretch on his face like the Mr. Sun on the box - in fact he made his disgust clear when he backed away holding both hands up

"Oh hell no! They're _definitely _not my favorite and won't be making this trip!" he exclaimed shaking his head as if he had tasted them himself. He pointed to the shelf she pulled the box from, "Maybe it be best if those just stay here."

After filling their cart to an understandably reasonable limit, Carl and Sophia proceeded to high tail their way back to the arranged meeting spot at the McDonald's now that their cart had reached limitations. They had about half way to go in order to get there, but sadly for Sophia they never made the other half of their trek. Coming in between the sporting goods and paint sections, Carl just so happened to glance up at the right time when his curious blue eyes fell upon the skateboards hanging by the bicycles and pogo sticks.

"Don't you even dare." Sophia bluntly warned him. It wasn't that she was more of a spoiled sport in the matter, she just _knew _Carl Grimes well enough to know how clumsy he truly was. Putting him on one of those would likely result in them adding a first aid kit to the basket as well. When Carl's mischievous stare didn't lift she heeded her warning again, "Oh no you don't."

"Oh yes I will." Carl beamed.

Meeting at the intersection of the swimsuit section and appliances, Daryl cocked a questioning eyebrow at the choice in Amy's new hairstyle she was sporting. She reminded him of the singer he had watched on the MTV music videos early in the morning before he would leave for his shift at the construction site - the weird one who sported all the unique clothes and hairstyles. What was her name, Lady GeGe? Lady Gaga?

It never further crossed his mind as the sounds of panicked screams filled his ears from a distance. The screaming now had his full attention as it only got closer and closer to where he was standing. Amy had only been mere inches away when the two caught sight of Carl zooming by the electronics department on a skateboard with Sophia racing behind trying to stop him.

Immediately abandoning their respective groceries, Daryl and Amy sighed in annoyance as they took off sprinting after their younger group members as quickly as their feet could carry them. Both young adults cringed as they heard the unmistakable sound of items crashing as the boy wiped out onto the store's supplies neatly stocked in the center aisles.

**_We're the kids in America_**

**_We're the kids in America_**

**_Everybody live for the music-go-round_**

Daryl had damn near jumped out of his skin when he felt a set of hands snake around the wrist which was holding a box of magnum ammunition. Now knowing that it was only Sophia, he felt a sense of relief wash over him as the twelve-year-old girl literally dragged him with her against all protests. Even after griping and complaining the entire way Daryl didn't shut his mouth when Sophia presented him with her big surprise.

Carl and Amy were currently squaring off in their own personal competition before them - looking for much needed excitement, the pair located the enclosed trampoline Carl had noticed earlier. After listening to Amy reminisce about her days in junior varsity cheer, Carl began boasting on how he could execute the same moves she described doing. Which explained why they were bouncing around wildly in the trampoline.

With a pained expression, Daryl wordlessly watched as Amy successfully pulled off an aerial cartwheel. Damn. That didn't look like a piece of cake. Did they expect him to do the same? As an encouraging Sophia brightly tugged him towards the trampoline entrance, he stubbornly bickered against her intentions. She only wanted him to have some fun for a change; afterall he deserved to.

Before long the stiff redneck followed in the footsteps of the children and simply placed more weight into his feet as they pushed off the trampoline. As he descended higher and higher into the air, Daryl couldn't help but etch a smile on his face. This was actually kind of cool - his greater fascination only because his father rarely bothered to buy him any toys on birthdays or Christmas. It was strange to knock his emotional barriers away and just simply enjoy the company of others and feel welcomed instead of judged. For one of the few times in his life, Daryl felt like he was actually having fun.

**Bright lights the music get faster **

**Look boy, don't check on your watch, not another glance**

**I'm not leaving now, honey not a chance**

Now that everything essential was gathered Daryl and his group all retreated to the check-out lanes to bag their final load of groceries. Sophia and Carl allowed their immaturity to get out of hand, having taken it among themselves to toy with the scanners acting as if they engaging in a shootout. The puppy placed herself in a defensive stance as she growled profusely at the playful children aiming the scanner at her.

Carl proceeded to shove the scanner towards the now paranoid pup, causing her to bark and growl out madly. The pup paced back and forth wildly in the limited amount of space in the cart seat as her new owner unintentionally continued to torment her.

Annoyed by the pup's yipping, Daryl yanked the scanner from the younger member's grasp and whacked Carl over the head with it. "Keep making that dog bark and I'll give you something to yelp about," Daryl growled as he motioned to Amy, "Now, anyone of you wanna try that again?"

The youngest members both shook heads fearfully, carefully scooting around the redneck. For his own source of entertainment Daryl allowed Carl to pass him before raising the scanner as if prepared to strike again. The boy jumped out of instinct and raced quickly as possible to the entrance.

**We're the kids**

**We're the kids**

**We're the kids in America**

**- Kim Wilde Kids In America**

After loading the multiple bags into the Infiniti it was officially goodbye to the Wal-Mart and back on the road to their journey. Daryl flicked the flame of his new tech lighter onto the tip of a cigarette while making the turn onto the highway. He chuckled as he steered the Infiniti with one hand while his elbow hung out the window, making the thirty-one-year old feel like a hot shot.

The excited pup was propped on her hind legs, paws pressed against the glass with her nose held high in the air. Like her human counterparts she too had her own supplies consisting of bagged dog food, treats, and multiple toys. Wearing a brand new leopard print dog collar, courtesy of Amy and Sophia's selection, the only thing lacking was a name for her.

Meanwhile, Carl and Sophia noisily munched on different series of snacks while Amy applied Baby Lips to her lips with her feet propped up on the dashboard. She quietly hummed along to the Carrie Underwood CD, placing the top back onto her lip moisturizer before rolling down her window. Staring off into the distance on the empty highway, the teenager was able to make out the few figures traveling alongside the roads as walkers. Not that they mattered from afar. They were the least of their problems.

She stuck her arm out the window and wavered it graciously along the strong wind current. Amy continued humming to the song, gratefully appreciating the brief moment of peace granted to them. Even when she was aware of the set of eyes goring into her back, "That's called staring Dixon. I might not have eyes in the back of my head, but I know when I have someone's attention."

Daryl quietly chuckled to himself, exhaling out a gleam of smoke which flicked out the cracked window, "Shoot, with an interesting hairstyle like that you would definitely have someone's attention."

Sophia excitedly perked from her position once she caught parts of the conversation, "It looks pretty, I love it! I wish I could do the same to mine, but it's too short." she blatantly toyed with the ends of her thick dirty blonde hair.

Amy giggled lightly, "Well how about this? We'll give it some time to grow, and when it does then we can attempt the bow." the older girl smiled when Sophia happily nodded in response, so appreciative and excited her head bounced like a bobble head.

Carl, being the only one to hear the pup's cries from hunger, rummaged through the fleet of plastic bags until finally locating the dog supplies. The boy tore into the medium sized bag of pupporoni treats and fed the pup her appreciative fill to where she licked her chops clean. He nearly began to speak to her, that was until he remembered there hadn't been an official name for her to go by yet. Recalling Daryl's agreement they compromised, his eyes widened in fear.

Luckily they still had some sunlight to spare, "Oh crud! What time is it? I hope we're not too late." Carl announced to the other members in the vehicle.

Daryl met eyes through the rearview mirror, responding quick, "The sun's still up. It's got to be about four. The day ain't too far from coming to a close." the redneck answered as he guided the vehicle down the road.

"But it's still today," he looked down at the puppy cocking her head without knowledge how adorable it was, "A deal is a deal Daryl - you have to keep your end of the deal, so now this means we can keep her. So, what can we name her?"

_"Damn brat." _Daryl inwardly thought to himself, angrily chewing his bottom lip. He hoped they all forgot about that stupid deal so he could be rid of that puppy for good. Sophia and Amy's jauntiness didn't go unnoticed - while he secretly daydreamed tossing the two girls from his car since he lost the deal - he'd never admit but it felt good knowing they were happy. "Alright. Well anybody want to take a shot?" Daryl questioned.

With the disappointment lingering in the air from having to brainstorm on a name, they were now brain frying more so than brain storming at this point.

Amy began, "Well I had a Pomeranian named Zsa Zsa, so why not -"

Daryl damn near drove the Infiniti off the road, "What the hell? Zsa Zsa, how the hell you even spell that shit? Girl don't make me take this car off the road, twisting my head all around." he said watching the blonde teenager narrow her eyes at him. "Sorry doll, but it ain't gonna happen."

"Fine." Amy said huffily, watching the pup stand on her hind legs as she reached for another treat from Carl.

"How about, Bella? Come here Bella." Sophia asked reaching a hand out for the pup, who simply stared back at her skeptically, "Ok, I guess you don't like that one too much."

"Mayhem?" Daryl offered.

Amy scoffed and rolled her eyes, "That's not going to work out. I mean are you really trying to name a puppy after an outlaw biker or is that the best you got?"

"Well you got something to top off _Zsa Zsa_?" he argued back.

Carl interjected quickly before the pair up front could get carried away with their debate, "Oh yeah. You're both wrong. I think Reaper would be perfect for her. Don't you think so girl?" he said with confidence, especially for a dog that looked at him as if she had been offended.

"Yeah Carl, she's just about to jump for joy. And besides, don't you think we should turn the notch down on horrible and painful death." Sophia looked out the back window as they passed the never ending interstate, brainstorming as hard as her young mind could. "Well... how about Dimples?"

Daryl placed his input, "And please not let us turn up the notch on the sweetness." His comment earned a snicker out of Carl and an elbow from Amy.

Amy toyed with the bobby pins keeping strands of her hair entwined - finding a name with three other very different people was more complicated than they all expected. Carl and Daryl didn't seem to understand the dog's gender required a suitable name. Yet her and Sophia's choices were far too sugary. They needed to fall somewhere in between, more towards a neutral place on the line. "Gunner? Bullet?" she suggested aloud.

What other word fell into the category of guns or weaponry? That was all she knew were guns, knives, baseball bats - since this was what they were surrounded with on a daily basis, why not make it a tribute to the puppy. She'd eventually grow to be a soldier in their never ending war against the world and its inhabitants. Her eyes lit up when a new suggestion filled her head, "Bullets and guns? Wait Daryl! That gun that you gave me to shoot, do you know what kind of gun that is?"

Tossing the butt of the now finished off cigarette out the window, Daryl cursed under his breath at the set of abandoned vehicles blocking the road. They weren't one bit difficult to swerve around, but this could mean there would be more of a road blockage up ahead, "Huh? Oh right right. A magnum, why?"

All the other names they had suggested just didn't fit. One could tell by the way a name rolled off the tongue whether it did fit or didn't. But this one name did roll of the tongue the right way - Magnum. It had a strong sense of power yet it didn't sound too weak willed like an overly done feminine name.

"Magnum?" Carl said to grasp a feel of the name for himself. It did sound like it suited her just right. "Magnum. What do you think about that girl, cause I love it!" he, Amy, Carl, and Daryl quietly awaited their furry friend's opinion on her potential name. For the moment she stared silently until her tail began to pick up speed at each given second. The pup had now been barking wildly to describe her happiness on her new name. She was certainly sticking with this one.

"So it's official. Magnum is here to stay everybody." Sophia proudly announced, scratching behind the pup's ear as a way of allowing a warm welcome. Magnum leapt over Carl's lap in order to reach Sophia, happily pawing away at the giggling girl. The Atlanta survivor's newest edition to the group was heavily rewarded with handfuls of pupporoni from Carl and Sophia, along with a scratch to the ear from Amy.

After all the commotion, the four finally settled down for the calm drive down the interstate - Carl, Sophia, and Magnum were curled up in the back with their limbs all strummed together like pretzels. Daryl and Amy being the only ones wide awake weren't too alarmed as he had to guide their vehicle around a walker or abandoned vehicle every now and then.

It wasn't until they reached further down did they both stare back gobsmacked at the sight before them.

"What the hell..." Amy carelessly threw her feet down from off the dashboard. Her hand was now covered a good portion of her mouth, while her eyes landed from one vehicle to another.

"Shit. Hold on, I'ma get us passed this." Daryl said hoping it was an assurance for words. He maneuvered the Infiniti around a slew of broken down vehicles covered in blood, fortunate he hadn't clipped his new car judging by how close in proximity the cars were. The ship wreck of cars continued on for a good length down the interstate, making the redneck fear they would be blocked in and left on foot. "Son of a bitch. Everybody and their goddamn mother had the same bright idea on getting the hell outta dodge." he exhaled deeply when he had barely dodged an Acura.

In the moment they were trapped in, Amy deeply feared they would be trapped in a maze of vehicles without any hope of traveling by car. It would be getting dark soon and they were miles and miles to come from any exits harboring eateries. Plus they would have to abandon most of the supplies they had just collected, supplies which would be of great importance. Just when she thought they would never get out or meet up with Andrea and the others she buried her head into her lap, allowing her silky blonde hair to flow freely. She was only on the verge of tears - ready to break down and put her vulnerability on the table like the child she still felt like.

She felt the vehicle come to a halt unexpectedly, tears threatening to fall from her blue eyes, "Daryl? Daryl, why did we stop? Daryl?" the teenager began to glance back from one side of the interstate to another. Struggling to figure out the reasoning for Daryl stopping his car.

"Holy shit." Daryl muttered unbuckling his seatbelt. He reached for his crossbow resting underneath Sophia's sneaker before tossing open his door. The skeptic look on Amy's face signaled she was ready to hail a flow of questions he wasn't looking to answer - there was a discovery more important than answering some stupid questions. He didn't flinch or blink as he held his door open, instead he simply pointed down towards the interstate.

The breath intake in Amy's chest increased when she finally got a good view of the object Daryl was pointing at. Her heart began beating rapidly and a small smile formed on her face. Before them was the very familiar Winnebago that had always been at the center of the camp, the very one she had travelled in with Dale and Andrea from their broken down car and the empty road. Dale's RV never looked so breath taking than it did now as they now both eyed it up and down.

**Viola! I guess you can all consider this as my punishment for not updating quick enough, so I present to you: a chapter with over 13,000 words! With the cherry to sit on the top. For all of those who have been waiting for Daryl and the kids to finally reunite with the group, go ahead and celebrate. Have a drink, bounce up and down like a fool, scream hallelujah or have a twix bar. Just do whatever! **

**It's so lengthy because I included some backstory for JoJo and Nick, along with Daryl and his gang running loose through the Wal-Mart. I literally envisioned the scenes of Daryl and the kids running carefree in Wal-Mart to be similar to the show _Everybody Hates Chris - _the episode in which Rochelle carelessly tossed all named brand food items into her basket courtesy of food stamps from her husband. Hence being free, running around without a care like children is why I chose _Kids In America_. **


	14. Sorry Again Dearest Fans! Please Read!

Hey hey hey as my roommate and I always say! The bunny of the beach has returned with a VERY important announcement to make. I deeply apologize to all my fan, especially for the ones who have kept their fingers crossed that I update another chapter. See the thing is there is this stressful thing called college and there are unfortunately certain priorities that come before writing and Fanfiction. Now fans, I'd love to deliver to you more chapters especially now that Daryl, Amy, and the kids have found Dale's RV. It'd even be cool if I could cuss my professors out for taking my time away from Fanfiction, but unless I'm crazy and want to be failed I won't do that. Gotta keep my grades up, and cross your fingers for me as I might be moving into the apartment I dearly want with my friends next semester! I'm excited!

If you have noticed I have updated to the other Walking Dead story Life Goes On, so please do go ahead and read that if you can for me. It really needs a chance and I guarantee you it will be a great story as I have so many ideas, plots, and storylines for the characters. Until then enjoy that, but I have the next chapter to Halo in progress and near completion. Again sorry for getting so busy and thank you all so much.

Peace, Love, Starbucks,

Beachbunnyluvsu


	15. Safe Haven At Last

I do not own The Walking Dead. But I do have ownership of the characters I created and I am too lazy to list all the names right now. Sorry! I do apologize again like I did before and before for not updating in months – I had been very busy fighting to keep my grades up so I can keep my scholarships and I am now working full time at work.

As of now the good news along with the fact that I'm officially back writing is I might move into the off campus apartment for school next semester. I can't wait! Otherwise I will be writing this story along with Life Goes On – be sure to give that one a chance if you can. Enjoy!

* * *

><p>Daryl waited until all his younger counterparts, human and animal alike, were awake and alert now that they stopped once he'd spotted the RV. Under observant eyes which held a small amount of jealousy in them, he watched as Amy gently shook Carl and Sophia awake in order to deliver the wonderful news.<p>

They were finally to be reunited with their loved ones at last.

More importantly they all made it together alive. Carl had his parents. Sophia had her mother. And Amy had Andrea and Dale. But what did Daryl have left at this point? Merle was long gone. And Amy? The sound of her name made him realize something important as he watched her long blonde hair flow in the wind as she and the children began racing toward the RV. Now that they found the group, what did this mean for both of them? Would it be best if he had talked to her about his feelings? Or should he just allow it to be the way it was before?

The no contact order.

He couldn't help but laugh to himself as he walked further down the interstate to meet with Amy and the children. It wasn't his fault he was associated with his bone head of a brother Merle. That was _him_. The barbaric asshole. The drug addict. The womanizer. Daryl was nothing at all like that. It never would be who he was.

Amy had noticed Daryl lagging behind slowly as they approached the RV excitedly. She slowed her pace down just for him, allowing him to walk alongside her. The teenager energetically bounced on her feet some as they walked. "Hey." she said cheerfully to him.

Daryl avoided her eyes at all cost, adjusting the crossbow on his shoulder some. His heart was pounding in his ears and his body temperature seemed to be going up some. He was twenty-four years old for God's sake! How could some girl, especially Amy, have him stiff as a board like he was a shy twelve-year-old again?

"Hey again you." Amy said again.

"Girl I heard you the first time. Ain't got to repeat yourself you know." Daryl grunted much too rough.

Amy crinkled her eyebrows at his tone as well as the sarcasm he sported. What was going on with him now? Daryl had seemed fine earlier in the car – his unpredictable temper was even worse than a girl on her cycle. "Well I kind of have to when you don't respond first hand. I just wanted to talk, see what's going through your mind."

Daryl stopped to lean against a long abandoned Acura adjacent from the RV, searching through his backpack for another cigarette. His lighter was already pulled out just in case, "Yeah well don't. I much rather prefer to just have my thoughts and my smoke. All to myself." the hunter completely turned his body away from Amy and towards the lush green vegetation where the forest stood. He felt around in his pockets until the feel of a finger jabbing in his ribs tore his attention away. "What!?" he angrily turned to face Amy. Damn, the girl just never knew how to quit.

Amy shook her head, much annoyed that I came back to this after all the time they spent together. "Don't do this to me Daryl. I know for sure that I haven't done anything wrong to get the cold shoulder. Believe it or not, I'm actually crushed this trip had to end. Especially when it was cool just with the four of us."

Daryl jerked his head up, completely shocked to hear this from her. He didn't believe she, Carl, or Sophia actually enjoyed his company in favor of their parents and sister. He'd be a complete liar if he said he wasn't going to miss them the same. "Four of us? You mean, you liked when it was just us? You ain't had a problem being around me?"

Amy smiled lightly at the redneck, "Duh. This was definitely more of a blast than doing laundry. That's kind of what I wanted to talk to you about. Even though we'll be back with the others, you wouldn't mind maybe stealing us again to hang out? Maybe have another target practice? Dale might be fine, but as for my sister I'll have to talk to Andrea."

The older man looked down at the younger girl standing a few good inches below him. He breathed in deeply as he sunk his hands into his pockets, "Well... hey thanks blondie. I know I ain't the easiest guy to be around, but like I said as long as you don't shoot me in my balls it ok. Those are the golden rules."

"Ok." Amy shook her head with a smile. The teenager began making her way over to the RV, wondering whatever was taking Carl and Sophia so long. At this point they were probably hogging all of the welcome back hugs and kisses she waited for as well. Then again, why hadn't anyone else come out to greet them yet? Andrea would've been here by now knowing how protective her sister was since they left their parents.

Daryl inwardly debated on whether or not to open his heart out to Amy. He had a good feeling they were all happy to be accompanied with him. Amy admitting how it made her happy sparked something inside of him. Just hearing her say that indeed confirmed what he had been thinking since they escaped the school and Otto's group. If he was going to put his heart on the table, it had to happen now before they were reunited. "Amy hey. Come on over here, we need to have a quick chat."

Amy stopped at her name being called, going back over to be face to face with the man she loved. "Sure, what's up?"

Daryl felt his Adam's apple bob madly in his throat, the words he so desperately needed to come out were stuck. This was easier said than done, especially when it was the girl he cared for and not the girl he'd slept with. Amy was different, in a good way of course. Sure, he'd slept with numbers of women over the years. She wouldn't be the first to sleep with – although he hoped that time would come - but she would be the first to love. "Uh... you. I... do you, really think this is the best time to talk to you about?"

The blonde shrugged, "Why not? I'm right here in front of you. Whatever it is, you can tell me Daryl."

This had to be said. He had to get his words out on the table, better yet while they were alone. Just as the redneck prepared to move his lips to speak, the voices of the younger members interrupted his train of thought. "Hey they're not in here." Carl yelled out from the RV, hanging out from the door while Sophia stood behind him with Magnum in her arms.

"What?" Daryl questioned. He began to approach the children and the puppy by the RV.

"They're not in here. My mom, dad, Shane, everybody is gone. Why would they leave the RV knowing we'd be looking for them?" Carl asked in a defeated manner. He exited the RV with a deep sigh, kicking a nearby can which sat alone on the road. Scouting out the area, he looked through various cars until his eyes landed on the forest before him.

Bewildered at the children's discovery, Daryl broke out into a light jog with Amy following behind. The pair entered the Winnebago to indeed find it empty, not a single member of their group aboard the RV. Amy gasped, fearful that the herd may have caught up to her sister and the others. Or worse they did move on. She made a grab for Daryl's hand, cupping it and squeezing the circulation out of it.

The redneck didn't dare push her hand away. Not that he was scared, hell no. That was the last thing he was feeling. It just felt right to have her small hand in his larger one, knowing that the comfort she wished for was from him. "Come on." he instructed while gently tugging Amy along out of the RV. It was near impossible to determine the many footprints on the asphalt belonged to the group. But it was easier to tell as they reached the dirt and grass. He crouched down to investigate the sets of tracks which eventually lead off into the woods. "Just as I thought. Ya'll see this here."

"Huh?" Sophia questioned as she tried ignoring Magnum constantly nip at her ear. She stood beside Daryl and Amy by the railing while Carl climbed onto the hood of a green Suburban nearby. "I don't understand." she turned to look at Daryl.

Daryl began explaining, "Yeah well I do half pint. There's multiple tracks starting off there in the dirt. Judging by the direction the footprints are heading toward, they had to have gone off into the woods to cover all grounds. They ain't abandoned the RV. They're out looking for us."

"Great! Let's go look for them!" Carl excitedly proclaimed sliding off the warm metal of the vehicle's hood.

"No kid. Those woods go on for miles. The last we need to do is get lost right before we cross the finish line. We gotta wait here for your folks."

Carl sighed deeply with agitation, he soon crossed his arms with defiance. It was rather ironic how much this new world had him and Sophia growing from being just innocent children. "But-"

Unfortunately for Carl, Daryl wasn't buying any of it. "You best hold them buts in boy. I said it before I'ma say it again: we wait here until they come back. Now end of story, goodbye, don't wanna hear it anymore, I'm gone." Daryl said rather sarcastically, waving his two fingers off to justify it as a final decision.

Having taken the role as the responsible adult since the first day, Daryl walked away from the boy he about wanted to strangle and over towards the RV. Amy, deciding listening to Daryl, offered the best advice she could. "Look I don't like the idea of staying put as much as the both of you, but it would be a thorn in the ass to have one of you missing. We don't have the time for you to end up on the back of a milk carton."

Sophia scoffed. "It's obviously late for that."

"Not the point. You've been listening since the beginning – listen for the last bit of this." Amy finished, before leaving what she assumed to be two responsible twelve-year-olds to help Daryl in any way she could.

Carl scoffed noisily, much more annoyed rather than relived on staying put. Why did they have to wait for the others? Carl was absolutely sick of waiting when they were this close by now. So, instead of remaining close like Daryl instructed Carl soon began to venture off. "He can't tell us what to do anymore. Screw this. I'm going on a little adventure." Carl said sarcastically to Sophia.

Being Carl's closest friend in camp meant that Sophia couldn't allow him to go alone. She objected greatly. "Thanks for waiting on us Carl. Just let me eat up all your dust. Besides, Daryl said we have to wait on the others to come." Sophia said firmly. She wasn't in the mood for Carl's disobedience right now.

"Why wait bored when we can be useful in action? Hurry up! There might be some more cool stuff in these cars. We can be pirates until our parents come back." Carl exclaimed joyously now that he had more freedom. He gradually broke into a light jog, looking into cars already.

Sophia shook her head in disapproval. Maybe listening to Daryl was the better solution since Carl had clearly lost his mind and common sense. "Some pirate alright." The blonde mumbled sarcastically.

They stumbled upon the first car, a white Maserati, which remained locked and inaccessible unless the window was bashed in. Next was a navy blue Ford Explorer and then finally a baby blue Mustang GT. As they ventured towards the next car Sophia swore she heard something following them. Almost sensing another presence tagging along keeping tabs on her and Carl like a bona fide stalker. _"That's the one thing that will always suck from this point on. Always having the feeling of being scared shitless I might shoot my own toe off. Shitless? Listen to me. I sound just like the adults around here."_

Sophia jumped out of instinct from what she hoped was an animal nearby. Again. She gulped deeply and her grip on Magnum tightened, "Uh... is it really necessary for us to explore the insides of all these cars? So far away from Daryl, who does have the gun?"

"Yeah. There's cars everywhere, so we might as well look for something useful while we're at it." Carl suggested while cupping his hands to peek into the glass of a car. He carried on with his task of peeking through the dingy glass of each vehicle they passed. Carl finally didn't stop until a smile spread across his face, and he yanked open the door handle to a Chevy pick up truck. What he, Sophia, nor Magnum didn't expect to fly out with a few dust bunnies as well as the decomposed body of a long deceased man. The children leaped back, screaming in pure terror while Magnum barked in response.

Tripping over their own feet to get away from fear, Carl and Sophia were laid out in a heap. Carl's shoe had Sophia's hair trapped underneath, with the agitated girl tugging painfully to break loose. "I'd prefer to have my hair cut versus being ripped out thank you very much." Sophia said bitterly.

"Don't yell at me. You can end up a human pillow if you stand too close to me like that." Carl replied.

A much disgusted Sophia cupped her mouth to assure the vomit wouldn't erupt from her throat. Magnum seemed to be slightly gagging as well in Sophia's arms. How much longer did she have to tolerate dead bodies until she saw her mother? "Ugh… he looks like a piece of sausage. Can we leave now Carl, please? Otherwise I'll lose whatever appetite I have left for breakfast foods."

"Oh you'll be fine you wimp." Carl said. In a quick swipe he snatched the burlap sack out of the long deceased man's grasp. Yelping from disgust and fear after retrieving the bag Carl and Sophia both raced back quickly towards Amy and Daryl.

As a matter of fact Daryl had damn near dropped the gas can he had been filling at the moment. The powerful liquid would've likely splashed him in the eyes had Amy not kinked the plastic hose in time. He had already set the can down and was on his feet, "Hey! What the hell ya'll doing? Whatcha got there?" the redneck yelled out to the approaching Carl and Sophia.

Just because they were close to the end of their journey, didn't mean they should be so reckless.

Amy wordlessly watched Daryl's facial expression change. She continued to hold the tube out of the gas tank, while Daryl filled the can. "Daryl don't be so quick to jump on them. For all we know they could be trying to help."

Daryl replied sarcastically as he rolled his eyes. "And that makes me feel so damn safe Amy."

Racing towards the pair of young adults like the hard headed brats they were, Carl and Sophia had fallen into a light jog until they reached their guardian. "Daryl! Daryl! You guys are not gonna believe what I found?!"

Sophia was the only one of them both far from amused. "You mean _we,_ right buddy?" Of course she and Magnum were to be credited to finding some weapons as well.

"Oops. Sorry Sophia. But hey, check this out! It's so sick!" Carl resumed his original task of retrieving the burlap holder he had kept enclosed within his person. The twelve-year-old placed the sack up protector on the asphalt before rolling it out to reveal a set of various knives, all different lengths and shapes even.

"What is that? Some sort of mini machete for pocketing." Amy kneeled down to further inspect the knives. Her fingers lightly grazed the handle of the Gator Machete Jr. "I want to keep this."

Carl excitedly tossed a hand up like he formerly did in the classroom when hoping to get picked. "Then I get the pocket knife!"

"I want the pocket knife too!" Sophia blurted in.

Amy stood. "Then just share it."

Daryl's eyes had damn near bugged out from Amy and the kids' conversation. Neither one of the three could even shoot a bullet straight, let alone use a knife as means of protection. Of course being Daryl Dixon he was far from afraid to let them know that. He quickly rolled up the sack and held it away. "Woah hold the hell up! Ya'll ain't at no damn yard sale. Not one of ya'll here will be walking away with a knife on ya at all. No way Jose."

"Awww…." All three of the kids groaned.

"Well shit. We can't go anywhere or can't have anything. This sucks!" Carl bickered crossing his arms like a brat.

The redneck tucked the knives away from the boy's reach. "Hey watch that nasty lil mouth of yours boy or I'ma do more than scrub it out with soap!"

"Why bother? That's all yours is full of shit!"

Once this rather harsh set of words fell from Carl's lips everybody reacted immediately, Amy and Sophia's jaws dropped instantly and Daryl… his reaction wasn't out of the ordinary. "What did you say?" He said, taking it to begin jogging after Carl who reacted instantly by running away down the interstate.

What saved Carl from harm was Amy who grabbed a hold of Daryl's bicep and forced him to stay as Carl made it further down.

At this rate counting to ten when you feel as if you may end up strangling someone was the best solution for Daryl. He barely realized that the person he'd damn near rushed into a what was like a bar fight had only been an immature young boy. Amy couldn't believe Carl or any of what he had just said, never knowing him to act out like that. "Don't! Unless you don't want a reason for the group to hate you, don't even think about laying a hand on him. He's just upset, we all are."

"So!? I don't give a single fuck how upset he is. I'ma stomp that brat like a roach next time he talks crazy to me." Daryl threatened somewhat shoving Amy away off of his forearm.

Sophia stood aside when Daryl and Carl began arguing, all thanks to the daily environment she lived in at home. The fright in her brown eyes lingered long enough for Amy to notice, along with Daryl who felt an extreme amount of guilt for causing her to relive the anger and violence.

Carl tirelessly rubbed his shoes against the hard asphalt, allowing the tiny rocks to crunch under his feet. He continued on as he dragged his feet through a trail on the asphalt further away from Dale's RV and the others. The brunette boy didn't finally stop until he swore he heard what he identified as a hissing sensation. Carl momentarily stopped and began examining his surroundings - once he dubbed all clear, he went back to entertaining himself.

Sadly for Carl, the worst decision he could've made that day wasn't making Daryl angry. It was walking alongside a red Grand Cherokee - the Grand Cherokee which harbored a weak yet starved walker underneath. Upon witnessing a human merely feet away from the first time in days, it growled ferociously before making a grab for the ankle walking along the vehicle. The sheriff deputy's son yelped in surprise before kicking insanely in fear at the walker's badly decomposed hands.

The monster bared its yellow teeth before making a grab for the boy's ankle with both hands. All it wished was to be fed, the being that was once human. Which explained why it became more persistent as it noticed the presence of two fresh walkers exiting a Buick. Judging by the fresh blood, the man and woman had to have been a couple of stragglers who were in the wrong place at the wrong time only recently.

Daryl had been in the middle of examining the knives when he heard Carl's troubling cries. "Fuck." he hissed in aggravation as he grabbed for his hunting knife and crossbow. The man raced as fast as his feet could carry him, all with the purpose of reaching Carl who was sure to be surrounded soon. Unfortunately, the moment Daryl passed by the RV, Carl had accidentally toppled over the railing from trying to shake off the walker. Along with the two walkers desperate to reach their first meal.

Daryl drove the blade into the walker's skull with such force, it silenced the walker for good. He, Amy, and Sophia practically leaped over the rotting body to get towards the railing. "Oh no. Carl." Sophia helplessly cradled Magnum while searching for her best friend through the forest.

Amy held onto the railing tight to where her knuckles turned white. "Carl! Carl! Oh God! Where is he? I don't see him Daryl!" She inwardly panicked while struggling to figure what was best to do. The blonde became startled when Daryl leaped over the railing, knife held in his mouth while the magnum was fastened in the waistband of his pants. "Daryl? What the hell are you doing?" Amy questioned.

"Give me your hands." Daryl firmly instructed to both girls. He wordlessly helped Sophia who had Magnum, then finally by helping Amy as well. Together the three of them carefully trudged down the steep grassy hill until finally reaching the lower level, each with the full intention of locating Carl. The redneck crouched down beside the shallow craters created from fresh footsteps - Daryl whistled to his counterparts as he pointed his finger toward the direction the tracks had taken. Lead by Daryl, the small group began trekking through the wooded area in search of their recently missing member.

Racing deeper off into the woods, Carl struggled to keep a good distance from the snarling walkers not too far behind him. The twelve-year-old lifted his feet while inwardly arguing with himself for having to run through thick leaves and over rocks and thick tree trunks. Carl kept up jogging tirelessly until his foot was unfortunate to have a loose tree trunk catch it and send him sprawling to the ground. He hissed loudly while closely examining his now scraped hands, until finally he pushed up to where he sat on his backside.

Carl twisted his entire body to face the source of the groans coming closer in his direction. "Oh shit." he whispered as he quickly scurried onto his feet to continue fleeing. It didn't appear to cross Carl's young mind that although he was now farther away from the walkers, he was just as far away from Daryl and the others. Turning his head to glance in the direction of the predator, the boy had been much too quick to seek refuge behind an oak tree.

Silencing his breathing to near perfection, that helped in listening to the nearby shuffling feet fade in the distance.

Remaining quietly beside the tree for a prolonged period of time made Carl finally realize he was safe. The boy peered around the tree for the thousandth time before emerging from its safety. _"That was close. Now, if only I knew the way I came from. Why didn't I keep my mouth shut?" _Carl thought to himself.

The trees all looked the same. That stupid branch responsible for tripping him could've been any branch lying around. Carl turned to his left once before turning to his right again. Any way could be the wrong way, yet it could also be the correct one. Giving into his impatience, he began traveling further north into uncharted territory away from his protectors. The more he continued moving along the woods, the more lost he realized he truly was. He would've continued further down the trail leading towards the river had he not had his undivided attention stolen from him by a strong buck. Staring back at the boy with dark beady eyes, which remained peaceful yet curious, the great animal studied Carl attentively.

The abrupt arrival of the animal was unplanned for Carl, yet the timing couldn't have been any better. The fear. The loneliness. The regret. All the emotions he was feeling as a twelve-year-old boy were beginning to wash away, and some sense of relief took over. Carl rose from the kneeling position, the knees of his blue jeans were smeared with damp dirt, and began taking cautious steps towards the buck.

Carl took more steps with an arm poised out to pet the buck. "Hey there big guy. Are you lost like me too?"

The animalistic instincts were fighting to overcome the buck, but the sense of safety was very much evident from the boy before it. Its ears flickered somewhat and its eyes continued to scan him. It was going to step toward Carl but the sound of a twig snapping sent the buck galloping through the forest.

"Hey wait! Come back!" Carl yelled while clumsily chasing behind the animal. The main focus he had was not to lose sight of the buck as it continued on galloping, which wasn't difficult at all.

Ever so frustrated Rick and Shane's search through the thick forest had yet to bare any positive results. Both police officers had been searching high and low all day around the interstate since the morning, with unsure promises to their group they would locate Daryl's lost group. T-Dog, Tyrese, Glenn, and the others didn't join the search until only just recently.

Earlier that day while searching through the sea of deceased vehicles scattered on the interstate, the survivors encountered yet another herd of starved walkers. The decision for the women and children to finally begin searching minutes ago had been finalized after Nick and Kyndall had been cornered by a walker in the RV, with steak knives.

The rotting corpse had hungrily snapped and clawed relentlessly at the teenage boys, but it didn't stand a chance for newly released juvenile members. The call had been close, but it left everyone shaken.

Shane stiffed up in response to the sound of bushes rustling nearby. "I never thought I'd say this, but I think the sun has gotten to me brother. I promise you we passed by that tree there." He pointed over in the direction of an oak tree. "The more eyes we have searching, the more ground we could cover."

Rick focused his deep blue eyes on the open forest scenery around him and Shane. Every step he took was with great caution, yet his sharp eye was only focused on their main objective. "I would be all for that Shane. But we just can't take anymore risks with our people, especially after the close call with Nick and Knydall. I can feel it in my heart. We're close, I just know it."

"Oh. So you've had a change of occupation huh? Gone from a law abiding, God fearing cop to a wishful psychic?" Shane replied with sarcasm he couldn't help but drop. It had been occurring a lot since the night at the CDC involving Lori. Then again what person would hold enthusiasm after the level of awkwardness broiling around Rick, Shane, and Lori? From Lori and Rick's side, surprisingly not so much. As for Shane and Rick, a butcher knife couldn't even pierce the tension.

Rick stopped in his tracks to turn and face his friend. "Of all the times to be a smartass, did you really have to do it while my son is _still_ missing? And it's not just Carl. Amy and Sophia are gone, and so is Daryl. Carol's luck hasn't been going North either. She's found one child, but the other is still in the wind. Try to have a little slice of faith for once." Rick had finished explaining.

Shane felt his chocolate brown orbs widen at the choice of words Rick had. Hell yeah he was still sour from the drama revolving around his complicated love triangle. Thank God they had been traveling shoulder to shoulder or else Rick would've likely had a gun at his head. Dale's timing to bare witness to that couldn't have been any worse.

"You're right man. I'm sorry. It's just- it it's the doubt. Not in them being alive, but of Daryl. You really trust he'll bring Amy and the kids after the whole Merle situation?"

Rick chuckled for the first time since the search began. From what Dale had explained Shane and Daryl butted heads from the beginning from the old days back at camp. Which explained why Shane's assumption was clearly biased.

Rick explained. "I told you before, he's a part of the group. Brother of Merle Dixon or not he has his place with us."

The sudden movement picking up from the bushes in the forest frightened both men to the point where they drew their weapons. "Shit! What was that?" Shane jumped in surprise, now holding his pistol.

"Not Little Red Riding Hood, that's for sure." Rick said.

To their surprise and relief the large buck hopped from behind the vegetation with its massive legs. It was only a harmless animal which was calming for Rick and Shane's nerves. "Shit. I guess Bambi wanted to make an appearance.

Both men chewed on their tongues when the very familiar young boy revealed himself from behind the trees. Carl had managed to successfully keep up with the buck in his pursuit, unaware he was only feet away from his father and Shane. The buck stood between he and the grown men. At the same time all eyes alike met one another.

"Dad? Shane?" Carl gasped. It wasn't a dream. It wasn't another walker. It was really his father and Shane before him.

He had found them. He had found his father and Shane. Which meant the group was nearby which had his mother, Carol, and Andrea waiting.

He began to gradually take creeping steps over towards the men, until he slowly began picking up pace. "Dad? Dad! Dad!" the reunion played out exactly as Carl had hoped. He'd played this in his head numerous times before.

In a swift move a bullet tore into the thin air. It sailed and sailed until finally slicing through the flesh of the unsuspecting buck, sending the animal lifelessly to the ground. Sadly, the bullet tore clean through and flew through the flesh of its second target.

Carl.

Like a sack of potatoes landing on the ground, the boy's body hit the forest floor with a think thud. Standing a mere feet away from his wounded child Rick felt his body succumb to a harsh shock – his son had been shot before his very eyes.

Nearly half way across the woods Daryl jerked his head from the sound of the bullet piercing the air. He'd already been aware Carl was traveling north where they were currently headed. As well as where the gunshot rang out.

Sophia made sure Magnum was secured and didn't leap from her grasp. "Woah! That was a gun. Did somebody get a walker?" She asked.

Daryl shook his head as a response. Yes, there was that possibility. There also was the other possibility that it didn't matter if one was a walker or human. A target is still a target. "Son of a bitch." Daryl quietly mouthed to himself, racing off into the woods with the girls in tow.

The bullet went through his back, into his flesh, and exited right above his belly button. The reunion played out in many ways, but not like this. Rick watched with sickened eyes as his only child joined the buck and fell onto the forest floor in a heap. "No. No. No! No! Carl!" he yelled.

The race across the woods became a longer travel than expected for Daryl, especially with the unwanted walkers keeping them from reaching their intended destination. He didn't have the time to pierce a few skulls or shoot any guns. They had to reach Carl and quick. The longer it took them, the lower the sun went down.

He would briefly look down on the soft dirt to follow the footprints leading he, Amy, and Sophia further away. _"JC, I know we ain't had much to talk bout' lately, but do me a solid. Don't toss my request in the trash. Give the kid a chance."_

"Hey! Stop! Stop guys, stop! Look." Amy came to a sudden halt which nearly sent her sprawling to the leaves covering the ground. She ran a hand through her blonde locks with one hand, while the other tried to shield the frown on her face. This was not good. This was the last thing they wished to see. Blood. Not the puddle pooling underneath the buck carcass, but the one across from it.

"Damn." Daryl sighed in defeat mixed with fear. He crouched down to investigate the footprints even further. Some of them in and around the blood were those belonging to a child while the others belonged to an adult. This confirmed his worst fear had occurred. "Well, there ain't no doubt about it. Carl's been shot."

Sophia whimpered quietly to herself, burying her face into Magnum's before the tears began flowing down her cheeks. Close by her side Amy enveloped her into a hug while Magnum tried licking away the tears which fell. "It's ok Sophia. We can't assume the worst had happened. He has to be alright. I mean he's not laying here, so that has to be a good thing."

"Then where is he? Who would shoot him?" The twelve-year old questioned with tear stained cheeks. "You both promised to get us back to our parents. To my brother. You both promised nothing would happen to us. Now Carl… he… he's…"

"Don't you dare say that if you don't know it. We've been through hell and back Sophia. Hell and back. Daryl and I have come too far with you kids to just throw in the towel. We're going to find him. I know it." Amy said firmly.

The trail of footsteps led them through the woods and into an open field with tall golden grass which flickered in the light summer breeze. It was safe to assume that whoever shot Carl realized they made a tragic mistake, and attempted to make amends and save the boy's life. _"Alright, now we definitely know we aint gonna end up at the wrong house." _Daryl began thinking to himself once he spotted the lone house seated smack dab in the middle of the fields.

A farmhouse it was.

"Come on! It's right over here!" Daryl yelled out in relief. Tossing his crossbow over his shoulder he took off at full speed towards the house, with Sophia and Amy in tow racing just as fast. The bright Georgia sky had long converted to dusk, with the sky mixed with the glorious colors of orange, purple, and blue.

The scenery surrounding them would've been glorious to enjoy had their fourth member been present with them. Racing through the golden grass in joy of being reunited with loved ones.

Up ahead where the intended destination lay, the home was very much so occupied. With individuals who were very much determined to protect their home from any unwanted guests. There on the front porch, three teenage boys squabbled over a pair of binoculars once one of them realized there were more people headed their way.

With the sky darkening, it wasn't exactly easy to depict the approaching figures in the distance. Whether they were friendly or not, they wouldn't be entering the Greene farmhouse easily according to Billy Greene.

"Let me see. Monster I want to see too." The lanky sandy-haired boy with hair past his shoulder, Owen, made a grab for the binoculars. He then dusted his hands off on his ripped jeans when he finally gave up the fight.

The boy in possession of the binoculars, Monster, pulled his sagging red skinny jeans as he peered in for another look. "It's clear as day Owen. There's someone else coming over here. It doesn't take binoculars to see that."

The eldest of the boys, Billy Greene, leaned onto the wooden pillar in order to have a better look. "Yeah. Someone carrying a Horton Scout crossbow, which requires good aim. I'll get the gun." Billy commanded, shoving through the two boys towards the door.

"Billy? Billy what the hell are you doing? They might need help." Monster grabbed roughly for Billy's shirt to stop him. "Dude don't do anything stupid. Patricia and your dad already have a kid hurt in there."

"Protecting the farm ain't something I consider stupid. Arnold and I told dad to barricade the farm, but he wouldn't listen." The brunette young man defiantly explained his reasons to his friends.

Owen and Monster watched with fear as their close friend disappeared into the house with the intent to arm himself. A hellion with a gun would most likely result in another injured person needed to be treated. Monster raced into the kitchen with Owen hot on his heels. "Hershel! Lacey!" Monster yelled out to warn them.

By the time the trio had reached the soil right beside the house, Amy was hunched over with her hands resting on her kneecaps. She painfully wheezed while trying to get the air into her aching lungs, and flicked back her sweaty hair hanging over her face. "My God I can't breathe. I think I'm going to be sick."

"Me too. But at least we finally made it in one piece." Sophia wiped the sweat forming on her brows and her flushed cheeks. Magnum felt like a significant amount of weight at this point. Which is why she didn't feel one bit guilty on placing the spoiled pup down on the ground. "Sorry girl, but my lungs are close to falling out of my butt."

Daryl, Amy, and Sophia were exhausted, itchy, and overall hungry. They were much too busy notifying one another on their current health that they didn't hear the obvious sound of the door opening. "Shit. My damn lungs have to be like raisins by now. Fuck I'm old." Daryl huffed repeatedly in agony.

"You're twenty-four. It's not called being old – it's called pure laziness." Amy found it a small point to add humor in their ill fated situation.

"Don't you dare shoot. Its fine Billy, I know them. Daryl? Amy? Sophia?" Glenn excited questioned from the front porch. He blocked an armed Billy with the intention on assuring his friends weren't shot as well. With the day they had, it would be great for it to end well with what a reunion instead of a funeral.

And with one less person with a bullet in them.

Amy's eyes widened in anticipation. Her day had just gone from dreadful to full of glorious surprises. She had to flick back her sweaty locks to assure she wasn't going crazy from the exhaustion. There standing before her was Glenn, with T-Dog standing beside him with a blanket covering him. Her hands instantly went to her mouth. "Oh my God. Glenn? Glenn!"

Although exhausted, the blonde raced up the steps to the porch and happily jumped into Glenn's grasp, wrapping her legs around his waist. She found her best friend as did he. Glenn danced around on the porch while hugging Amy even tighter. "Amy! Fucking Amy! I knew it all along. I knew you were alive."

"I missed you so much. My Korean brother from another mother." Amy giggled happily, letting herself down.

Glenn leaned in for another hug once again. "Me too Blondie. Me too." The teenagers missed the skeptical looks both T-Dog and Daryl were shooting each other in question.

T-Dog winced silently to himself from the added pain cursing through his arm. He shook his head in disdain at the pair. "Damn boy. You bout to pop the girl like a balloon if you don't lighten up."

Amy accepted a few more seconds of another air gripping embrace, motioning for Glenn to release her. She smiled in T-Dog's direction before walking into an inviting hug. "It's good to see you too Theodore."

"Now come on now. We ain't that tight yet to be calling me that."

Sophia and Daryl walked up the steps to properly reunite with the group members they had long missed. "Glenn!" Sophia hugged him so tight, he was able to lift her off her feet. She only allowed him to release her from his grip just so she can ask an important question. "Is my mom ok? Is she in the house with all the others?"

The twelve-year-old was desperately trying to look past the older boy in search of her mother, she didn't even realize Glenn and T-Dog's troubling looks. She was too young to have to understand bad news, which would be an aspect she would have to get used to in the current world.

"I got this." T-Dog grumbled to Glenn, painfully kneeling to obtain her level.

Glenn's eyes switched back from Sophia to T-Dog, only due to his uncertainty of how the conversation would go. The two never had any true contact, even Daryl had said more words to the young girl. And plus the man hardly had contact with any of the camp's children. He shook his head in uncertainty. "T, I really don't think you should be the one."

"Sophia, look I know this ain't easy to hear, but your mom's not coming tonight. Don't take it the wrong way; she is alright, along with Dale, Andrea, and the others. Help was already sent after Carl was brought to the house so Lori could come here. With it being dark it's not safe for anybody to go back to the interstate. You have my word baby girl – she'll be here in the morning to see you." T-Dog managed to finish in a well thought out speech. A speech which left the adults around him nodding in admiration.

Sophia stared back at the adult with a look a sorrow. As difficult as it was to go another day without her mother, she knew she had to. "Ok. But remember, you promised me."

Daryl shook his head in agreement, especially knowing from experience how dangerous it was traveling at night. For him it may be a simple task, but not for the kids. "The place was crawling with geeks at night ain't it?"

Glenn leaned uncomfortably on the house. "Like crazy, especially when we were surrounded by the woods. It's a good thing we found Herschel's farm when we did."

Daryl was the last of the newly found members to emerge on the porch. He commanded for Magnum to follow after him, which the obedient pup did. "T-Dog. China Man. It's been so long, I actually missed seeing your ugly mugs round'." The redneck chuckled as he leaned his body onto the porch pillar.

Glenn furrowed his eyebrows in annoyance. Pushing open the door allowed Amy and the others to enter the house, leaving him and Daryl alone momentarily. "Oh wow. I see that spending some time away has helped you find a more approaching sense of humor."

The comment earned a few laughs and gasps from the group encircled on the porch. Even Daryl couldn't help but laugh despite it being in his direction. "So now you got funnies huh? Just when I was bout' to start calling you by your first name, that done flew out the window."

"You better stop while you're ahead of yourself, otherwise I'll tell Rick to leave your bike out there."

Daryl placed an offended look over his face. "I'll be damned if you leave my brother's ride for the corpses."

The arrival of the lost group members obviously didn't go unnoticed by the residents inside the house. Rick and Lori exited the bedroom in which Hershel and Patricia enclosed Carl in order to greet the others.

The reunion was emotional and relieving to know everyone was safe and well.

"Oh Amy…" Lori choked back tears all as she buried her face into Amy's hair. Although their relationship wasn't binded by blood, it was proven to be just as strong by the heart. Tears began to fall from Lori's already filled eyes. "My baby's in there. He's lying in that bed, with a bullet inside of him. He's shot. My boy was shot Amy."

Amy hushed Lori while rubbing her back in a soothing manner. The tears stinging in her eyes couldn't help but fall. "I know. You don't have to worry about him, because you know what. Carl is a tough kid, probably even more so than me. You should've seen him. You and Rick would be so proud. He was even a hero on many occasions when he didn't need to be."

"Is that so? He always used to say how sick he was of feeling like a chicken." Lori chuckled while wiping the stray tears away.

Daryl had pushed past Glenn and Sophia just to reach Rick. As much animosity he harbored for the man before, that well was long dried up and now replaced with guilt. He held a responsibility to Carl, who now lay in a bed with a gunshot wound, and he had to have some blame for that. "How's he doing?" Daryl asked.

Rick shook his head rapidly from the nerve wracking his body. He wiped away the fresh tears which threatened to fall before seeking the courage to respond. "He's… trying to hang in there. He was able to tell us about what a blast he had with you and the girls, about the deer, before he fell unconscious. I have to say I'm impressed with you. I was hoping you won't turn down the offer to babysit every now and then."

"I mean hell, what else could they possibly do to torment me more?" Daryl said quietly.

"So I'm guessing it was that bad?" Rick laughed at the thought of Daryl dealing with the kids.

Daryl shrugged playfully. "Not as bad as the time I squared off with that buck. Without my crossbow."

Rick felt the man before him stiffen as he placed a supportive hand on Daryl's shoulder. At some points he did question Daryl's loyalty to his son and the group, but now he knew he didn't have to anymore. The usually tough exterior was let down and emotions were shown. "Thank you. I know I owe it all to you, my life, my loyalty, everything. All that matters is that my boy is alive, and that's all thanks to you Daryl. You're a hero."

"Hell, I sure don't feel like one." Daryl sighed with defeat.

Lori, of all people, even gave her opinion to the exhausted redneck. "No Daryl, he's right. You are a hero, and a very good man many of us doubted. I doubted you as well, and I'm sorry for it. Without you this day would've never come true. Thank you so much." She said through the tears of a relieved yet fearful parent.

The young redneck accepted Lori's embrace as a token of her appreciation. And it wasn't just Lori either – looking into the eyes of all the other survivors, Daryl was stunned to see they were filled with love and happiness to him. Glenn and T-Dog nodded with appreciation while lightly clapping while Amy nodded her head in admiration.

So this is what it felt to have people care.

The sound of heavy boots on the wooden floor had everyone turning heads in the direction of the sound. Amy curiously studied the elderly man who had emerged from the bedroom with a slightly younger woman, and three younger people. His hands were bloodied, thin grey hair unkept, and sleeves pulled up. Whoever he was, this man was of great importance to Carl's health as he had Rick and Lori on their feet.

"How's he doing Hershel?" Rick questioned fearfully. He took Lori's much smaller hand into his own as they awaited the news of their son.

The man, Hershel, looked up at them with almost apologetic eyes. He would've delivered the news to them had the young girl not caught his eyes, which is what led him to stand before Sophia. "Hey there hon. You must be Sophia. Your friend Carl in there sure has been talking up a storm all about you, Amy, and Daryl. And who might this be?"

Sophia looked down at Magnum, who sat comfortably on the floor beside her foot. She took a gentle hand and scratched the pup's ear. "This is Magnum. Carl and I found her in the woods one day. She's very sweet, although that's towards anyone but Daryl."

This comment earned the laughter of everybody but Daryl of course. He playfully eyed Sophia before eyeing Magnum who somewhat hid behind Sophia. "Ha. Which reminds me. You ain't left my list mutt." Daryl motioned towards the pup. Their small rivalry would have to be placed on hold for the time being.

Hershel motioned for the young man and woman to step forward. "Arnold, I want you and Maggie to take Sophia and her friends into the kitchen for some supper. I have to have a talk with Rick and Lori."

The third brunette young man looked up confused and annoyed. He defiantly crossed his arms and stepped past the man and woman beside him. "Dad? What about me? I'm standing here just like Maggie and Arnold too. I ain't planned on sitting around like a knot on a log."

"Well, going upstairs and watching your sisters will keep you busy. Hopefully this will teach you not to confuse keeping watch with being an assassin. Get upstairs now Billy." Hershel rather harshly demanded of his youngest son.

The boy, Billy furrowed his brows in anger as his dark brown eyes scanned the people in his home. "But dad…"

"Billy just go. We ain't got time for you being foolish." The second young man, clearly Herschel's elder son, commanded Billy to do. He engaged in a small stare off with his brother, until the latter grew weary of the game and jogged up the stairs. He motioned for Daryl and the girls to follow him to the kitchen. "Come this way. Now I know it ain't all fancy like steak, but it'll have to do. We've got chicken pot pie, mixed veggies, and apple pie for dessert."

Amy couldn't help but show her outward appreciation with a smile big as her stomach. It had been some time since their time from the group, along with a descent home cooked meal. "Oh no, that sounds amazing! It feels great to know someone cooked for you."

Now feeling comfortable despite her mother still away, Sophia spoke up as well. "It sure beats all the junk food we've lived on the past few days." She said settling herself in her seat.

Maggie motioned for Arnold to let her by in order to access the laundry room. Despite her petite frame she was able to tug an enlarged bag of dog chow from the small room and set it aside the wall. Maggie flicked some hair out of her face. "And if you feel like enjoying your meal too much, don't worry about sharing with the furball. We still have some leftover dog food from our dog Daisy. She passed not too long ago from old age."

"I'm so sorry. My family and I had a Pomeranian named Zsa Zsa. Only, I never knew what really happened to her…" Amy paused uncomfortably at the thought of her pet and parents. "Aside from the pet talk, my name is Amy." The blonde waved politely to her house guests. "This is Daryl, Sophia, and lastly Magnum." She proceeded to point out each individual.

The green eyed beauty had pulled plates and glasses while Arnold prepared the plates for dinner. She turned to face the three at the table, preparing for a proper introduction. "Well I'm Maggie Greene. If there's any question as to who I am, I'm not a complicated individual. I like to get straight to the point, a southern belle with no grace whatsoever, and my trusty sidekick is my guitar."

Amy grinned in response. "Well I'm not exactly the toughest person here myself – if anything I'm only a cheerleader. Or I was at least in that past life."

This comment earned a small snicker from Maggie. Girls who wore short skirts and waved poms poms like Amy had usually been more of a burden to her unlike Amy, who seemed genuinely sweet. It seemed as if the road to whatever friendship they could have would be smooth. "Well Amy girls like you were always a pain, especially in a small town. I'm glad you are all here to stay. Now if you don't mind I'm gonna step out on the porch for a bit. Goodnight ya'll."

"Goodnight." Everybody all said together to Maggie who exited the house.

Once the plates and sweet tea were passed out for Daryl, Amy, and Sophia, the trio proceeded to help themselves to a hot and delectable meal. Amy and Arnold tried to mask their laughter while listening to Sophia make noises while consuming her food.

"What?" Sophia asked with a mouth full of dinner. "It's so good! You try staying away from real food for a long time. It sucks!" She knocked back plenty of sweet tea.

Gulping down the last of her sweet tea, Amy gently placed the glass back on the coaster. Arnold had watched with appreciation, thankful that someone appreciated his cooking unlike his hard headed little brother. "Is it good or are you just hungry there?" He questioned Amy.

"Both." The blonde chirped excitedly. "If you're afraid there was a flaw with the food, then you're dead wrong. Everything was actually good. But seriously, did _you _cook any of this?"

"Actually, Maggie only made the veggies tonight. She and our sister Lacey usually do the heavy duty cooking, but I decided I'd give them both the night off." Arnold said.

Amy smiled, nodding in appreciation. "Like a true gentleman should."

Arnold felt his cheeks flare up like a set of Fourth of July fireworks. He'd only had very few crushes on girls in their small town, not a single one of them as cute as Amy. Her laughter was musical to him. Her hair like golden silk flowing in the summer breeze. Only beauties like that were found in the city. "Well I do try my best. And with four sisters in the house our mother made me endure much of practice on being a gentleman. She always believed it would help for when the real thing came around."

On the floor chowing down on dog food and plenty of water, Magnum had worked up quite the appetite from the adventure. Although just a young pup even she had enough brains to read Sophia's disgust.

Amy cleared her throat a little and tucking thick strands of hair behind her ear. _"Oh crap. He's totally flirting with me. He is a nice boy, but I've already got somebody in mind." _She thought. It was quite obvious to her and the others that Arnold Greene was flirting with her. No longer the typical mean girl that insulted and put people down, finding a nicer way to get some points across were much harder. "That's… well seeing how the days are now I could only bet it's hard for any kind of girl to simply just come around. But, the wait might have to be a little bit longer."

The only one not engaging in the conversation at the table was Daryl, seated stiff and unhappily in his seat. He'd ram his fork onto his plate in a rough manner as he examined Arnold interacting with Amy. Honestly, he wasn't the typical sleezeball chasing after a girl for only one thing in mind.

He was actually being a gentleman to her, treating Amy better than he had on some days. The problem was it was obvious he was making moves on the wrong girl. _His _girl. But, there was still the obvious sign of flirtation. _"Hell no. Ain't no way in hell this prick's taking away what's mine. Now's the time for me to claim what is mine. " _This was something he did not like at all. He reached for his glass and made the biggest, most obnoxious slurping sounds until the glass was empty.

It would've been comical had he stopped after it became irritating. The slurping lasted longer than ten seconds.

"Daryl," Amy quietly warned him. She looked between him and Arnold, shooting the young farmer an apologetic smile for the redneck's crude behavior. Talking didn't help, which led to her kicking him roughly in the shin. "Daryl. Daryl! Please, is that really necessary?"

The contact did cause him to jump and nearly choke. "Was _that_ necessary girl? I could've choked on an ice cube and it'd been all your fault."

"It would've melted." Amy spat with much agitation.

Daryl placed a hand over his chest cavity as if he were on the verge of a heart attack. "Well damn. I can't believe you would let me choke to death there lil Amy. That kinda hurts – makes me feel sore too ya know."

"Not as sore as you're going to be when I ram my foot up your-"

Arnold sat back in his chair quietly attempting to enjoy his dinner and only pretending the bickering pair were as invisible as Casper the friendly ghost. Sophia, who was far too exhausted and agitated, wasn't having it however. "Ok! Child under the age of thirteen sitting right over here. Look, if you two plan on acting your shoe size instead of your real age, then can you please shut the hell up. I would actually like to enjoy my food."

Just before Amy could fling another threat in Daryl's face, she spun in her chair quite shocked at the vulgarity of Sophia's words. How had such as innocent girl like her had developed a filthy vocabulary? "But… I didn't do anything. It was all Daryl acting like a barbaric prick with no manners."

Sophia turned to face a bewildered Daryl now. "Daryl? Really? Don't you remember all the times you had to yell at me and Carl? You think you would've learned."

This was beyond crazy. She was a girl at only twelve-years-old and Sophia was giving Daryl orders like some kind of subordinate. "Hey the shoe still fits the foot Phia'! I'm the responsible _adult_ here who kept ya'll safe. I fed ya, got ya back to ya folks, and you're still in one piece."

"That's true," Sophia said with her hands properly folded. "But you're not acting like that responsible adult right now. Can't you act your proper age Daryl? Or do you need a bib and binky?"

"Oh haha! It ain't a twenty-four seven job. Besides, who are you to talk lil girl? You ain't gettin' older any time soon."

A smile slowly spread from ear to ear on Sophia. "Well you're not getting any younger. You grow older every single day."

That comment there earned a laugh from Amy, who nodded in approval at Sophia's defenses against Daryl. Of course the pair sat back and forth teasing for kicks – Sophia had her tongue sticking at him while he flicked peas at her. "Well thanks for making me feel like the Crypt Keeper." Daryl said.

Arnold inwardly laughed to himself as he collected his dishes from dinner and took them to the sink, all while also getting any other dishes. _"So close yet so far. Another fish almost caught in the net – as if this town were small enough to find a half way descent girl." _These people were quite the entertaining ones. And obviously such a close knit group that couldn't possibly be broken. And he wasn't the home wrecking type of loser to come in between a relationship – or whatever was existent between Daryl and Amy.

Soon after finishing his own dinner, Daryl of course being himself disappeared in being somewhere in close proximity to the Greene house. Leaving Amy and Sophia to offer Arnold some help in cleaning the kitchen – shortly afterwards Sophia was taken up to the upstairs to the twins' Beth and Melanie's room.

With the night coming to a conclusion, everybody had settled with the night's good and bad turn of events. The good news was Shane returned safely and had managed to get the supplies which saved Carl's life. As for the bad news Otis, Herschel's farmhand responsible for shooting Carl, didn't survive the trip to the local high school. Lori had Amy enclosed in kitchen the moment the whispered conversation had begun – it was there that they heard Patricia, one of Herschel's residents at his farm, broke down crying. She had been waiting for her husband to return back to the farm with Shane.

At least from the story Rick was able to get from Shane, Otis had made the ultimate sacrifice to allow the former cop time to escape while he had been cornered and devoured. As odd it may sound, nobody questioned Shane to be lying. Seeing Shane again for the first time since the separation was odd for Amy – something about Shane now seemed very much off putting. Even a bit darker than usual when she asked about Otis. _"You know me Amy. I wouldn't even do as much as hurt a puppy."_ He had said before disappearing off to bed.

Just him saying that had him make sure Magnum was safe in the house, which she was with Sophia. Amy just wanted to be confident that Shane would be fine and things would be back to normal at the most.

Having returned to the kitchen to eavesdrop, Amy had hidden away from Herschel as he comforted a heavily grieving Patricia. Not expecting it a hand suddenly grabbed for her forearm, almost causing her to scream.

Amy thankfully sighed with relief. It was only Monster, that emo kid from earlier on the porch with Billy. With him was the other kid Owen, who stood awkwardly sensing the tensing with the two teenagers. Amy shrugged her shoulders coolly, "So, you seem to be in touch with everything that goes around here. What happened?"

Monster somewhat turned away from Amy, shrugging off nonchalantly. "I don't know." He said with a bit of an attitude. Feeling her eyes lingering on him like some form of sixth sense, he looked back up to still see the blonde eyeing him with a questioning look. "What? I said I don't know what happened alright."

"Well then did you have to be so rude saying it?" Amy questioned, possessing a look with venom in her eyes. Tonight she was not a force to be reckoned with.

Monster remained propped against the wall stiff and serious in the beginning. Until a smile creaked up on his face slowly then he began to chuckle lightly. "Excuse me but I'm rude. Wow. You sure are the last one to be giving out guidelines on politeness."

Of course this was how it was going to be. Sarcasm at its finest. She didn't care for it nor did she have the patience, but Amy was not about to settle for it any longer. "So that's all that matters? Me having such good manners? Why don't you worry about saving your own ass from being shot you prick."

Monster shot back with a snarl. "Maybe I'd like to shoot you bitch."

"Well then bring it freak!" The blonde was beginning to lose her patience and her temper. Amy instantly regretted the derogatory word she said out of anger once she noticed Monster flash a sarcastic grin.

"That was always your favorite word."

Standing back and only baring witness to his friends' defending themselves against the popular kids in school, Owen had been used to playing this role for years. Unfortunately for him one of the days to finally speak up was now. "Monster! Come on man just leave it alone."

Both teens stopped their string of insults to turn back at Owen shocked. Owen was never one to be the voice of reason. When he did speak up it usually wasn't very smart.

Monster couldn't help but scratch his head in confusion. "What? Dude, whose side are you on Owen?" He asked.

Owen jumped unexpectedly feeling the pressure being mounted on him from both sides. There was Monster his best friend and then there was Amy. Beautiful popular Amy who had been far from a friend. "Uh… can't I just be an inbetweener? I mean, we never always got along but we kinda have to now."

Monster furrowed his eyebrows. "Why?"

"Because… dead people don't wanna stay dead like they're supposed to." Owen replied sheepishly. He did have a valid point on them all burying the hatchet once and for all hopefully.

"No man! There never was an inbetween. Of course you have to have my back on this."

Amy scoffed angrily dropping her crossed arms to the side in defeat. High school was far from over along with the world and any leftover humanity. "You know what Owen you don't have to be on my side. I don't care what you do. But I'm tired from today and this stupid conversation we're having. Just remember _Michael,_ maturity along with practicing what you preached in the past should be something you ought to take into consideration. I'm done."

After everybody else turned in for the night, Amy found she was one of the few people remaining up, only because of the laundry needed to be done. Another one of the Greene girls Lacey, had been kind enough to offer her a spare pink hoodie and some navy sweatpants.

Roughly tossing the clothes into the washing machine was one method of getting frustration out. Amy was so pissed at Monster and his snappy attitude she had nearly doused the clothes with bleach in anger. _"Obviously the past still does exist, especially since he still lives in that time. High school doesn't exist forever. Same thing Andrea always told me." _

"What's wrong doll? You look upset." Daryl said in an almost mocking and playful tone as if he were innocent.

Rolling her eyes as she tossed a shirt into the washing machine, Amy responded with much attitude. "That's because I _am_. I'm exhausted from today, Carl getting shot, I'm sick of people being so fucking ignorant, and even _you_ can't act right. But then again that's no surprise. I'm sorry if you find it hard to believe you could act like a total Neanderthal. I mean, treating someone who offers hospitality like the way you did. Slurping, making rude comments, I mean for God's sake Daryl! What is your problem?"

The older man did harbor some form of sympathy for the frustrated teenager. Ever since the CDC he'd somehow been drawn in by her kindness he was rather quick to take concern for Amy. "Look Amy… you wasn't the only one broken up by today's events.

"Hey what's wrong with my manners doll?" Daryl shot back in his defense. "Besides, it's kinda tough to choke down solid food when ya flirtin' with lil farm boy."

"Don't call me that!" The teenager roughly tossed some pants into the machine. "Last time I checked I don't belong to you. You're such an asshole – and to believe I thought you were different from your brother."

Daryl visibly jumped, his eyebrows knotted together in the instinct to react with anger. But it was only Amy, who had the right to be angry at him. "You did, and you still do. You're the only person here who even bothered looking in my direction at camp. Why is that now?"

Amy sighed in agitation, returning once again to her task of washing their clothes. She pulled the latch for the detergent before bending to retrieve the detergent by her ankle. The teenager had barely scooped the grains of detergent from the box when it was ripped away. "Daryl? Daryl, what the hell?"

Towering a few feet above her frame, Daryl held the detergent hostage with a smirk of mischief etched on his face. Which was terrifying – Daryl hardly ever smiled unless he was up to something sinister. "You want it doll? Come and get it." He playfully held the box out for Amy.

Far from amused, Amy complied with his suggestion and made a grab for the detergent. When she failed at reaching the box the first time, she made another try again. "I'm glad you're having fun. Keep laughing all you want, I'm washing my clothes." She made several more attempts to get the box, growling angrily while Daryl stood nonchalant. "Daryl!"

"Daryl!" The redneck spoke in a shrill voice to mimic Amy. This obviously agitated the blonde further, who stomped a foot angrily.

Amy chewed her lower lip in agitation, having clearly given up her goal. With the attitude Daryl had displayed tonight with Arnold, she definitely didn't have the patience for his childishness now. "Fine. Are you happy now _Dixon_? You win. Keep it because I don't care. I'll just get a bucket and wash the clothes tomorrow. I'm tired, I'm going to bed anyway."

Daryl couldn't help but smile in Amy's direction despite the homicidal look she sported. Even though he knew she wanted to hit him, it didn't' stop him from blocking the door. "No, not yet. Will you forgive me?"

Amy jerked her head at his question. The teen was very much bewildered at what she heard. "What?"

"I said will you forgive me? I'm telling you now, I ain't letting you out of this room until you say you're gonna forgive me."

Sadly, her trek towards the bedrooms was stalled once again. Amy figured Daryl would've been stubborn and physically stopped her knowing she was mad, just so he could talk. Speaking is what she had in mind – not him closing in on her personal space with an animalistic gleam in his eyes.

One of his large hands was pressed beside her head while the other rested on her shoulder. With his lips mere inches from her own, her breath stilled as his forehead brushed against hers. "Wha… What are you doing? Daryl this isn't funny."

"Well I ain't laughing. So what? You're telling me this ain't what you want anymore. Last time I checked I'm still here, a willing man waiting for the invitation." Daryl whispered huskily into Amy's ear. Just witnessing her blush and become tongue tied made this even more fun. "I've seen the way you've been looking at me. No harm in that. The question is how long can you stand looking without getting creative? I wasn't trying to piss you off _doll_. I just want lil farm boy to know he's looking at what I saw first."

Amy's breath stilled in her throat. She would've made a beeline had Daryl not had her trapped – which was just as good as it was bad. He knew. All this time he knew about the crush. "Is this a joke? No no no! All this time you've _never_ acted like you wanted me. Why now?"

"Cause' I wanted the time to be right. It ain't too late is it doll?" Daryl gradually inched closer which had his lips almost pressed on Amy's. As much as he wished to kiss her, he stalled for her to have the time to pull away. When she didn't move away he gladly accepted and pressed his lips to hers in a hot, heated kiss.

Amy stood still shell shocked before realizing she was actually kissing Daryl. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she accepted it and hungrily kissed him back. Was this a dream? Because this had to be a dream. It obviously wasn't if she could feel his rough fingers glide through her hair, tugging gently on the ends. Daryl ran his hands down her hips and pushed her back until she was pressed against the washing machine.

Amy tilted her head back as Daryl left a trail of hot kisses down her neck, sucking attentively on the sensitive skin on her neck. Time ago she dreamed of this to happen, letting out a gasp as Daryl located her sensitive spot. The redneck let out a growl as he picked her up and sat her on the washing machine, exploring her body further with more kisses. "Damn Amy." Daryl groaned in excitement, loving the feel of her gently claw at his back through the cloth of his shirt. Lost in a sea of lust, he quickly undid the buttons on his plaid sleeveless shirt and left it open to expose his muscular chest. Sure he lost much control when he lusted for a woman, but not as much as he was with Amy now.

The teenager felt the breath still in her throat when Daryl pulled down the zipper to Lacey's hoodie, gently stripping her down to her white tank top.

Wrapping her legs around his waist allowed Amy to actually feel Daryl's arousal as he had started grinding against her. It was clear it'd been awhile for him, but she wasn't one to pass any judgment. Especially since the bad breakup with her ex-boyfriend Logan led to the single life. She didn't become nervous until she felt his hands tugging at the hem of her tank in the back, with his hand rubbing on her bare back and bra.

"Daryl," Amy pleaded against his lips. "Slow down."

The muscular redneck forced himself to release the younger girl, looking at her through hooded eyes. His bare chest rose while it filled with oxygen – and much to his humor, Amy had trouble keeping her eyes off his chest tattoo. "Sorry. Got a little carried away there doll." Daryl said, gently pressing his forehead to Amy's own.

"It's fine," Amy responded, nuzzling Daryl back in return. "I just…I don't want to go far when I'm not too sure what we have now…"

Daryl pulled back to give the teenager more space. Although his body had truly protested against his mind, especially when it had been months since he'd touched a woman. His rough hand gently rubbed on Amy's thigh repeatedly. "You want to put a label on this don't you?"

"Well yeah. Don't get me wrong, I really do like you Daryl, but I'm not sure what I am to you. Or what we are to each other. I mean one minute we're playing it close, the next minute arguing, or having a heart to heart. With all these feelings emotionally and physically, I'd rather be sure before anything serious happens between us. God, as much as I want this I just can't afford to make the same stupid mistake after the first asshole who broke my heart." Amy explained.

Daryl regrettably removed his hands from Amy's thigh and placed them onto the cool metal of the dryer. Exhaling a deep breath out he leveled himself to her just to lock eyes. "Yeah… well I ain't that guy. I would never hurt you Amy. It's just…complicated for me when it comes to relationships. Trust, I know I'm not the best choice available here. You'd be better off dating Glenn than being seen hangin' round' me."

Amy scoffed noisily before covering her mouth to prevent the laughter from escaping. "Ok…first of all ew. Dating Glenn would be just like violating a moral code because he's like my brother. Second, I don't want Glenn or anybody else here. I want you Daryl – even if Andrea and the others think you're not good enough for me. I mean, we totally don't have to tell anybody. If you want, maybe we should think things over before we try jumping into anything soon. That is if you want to."

Daryl felt his heart sore within his core. His breath left stilled in his throat released and a small smile formed on his lips. "Amy…" His large hand caressed her soft cheek, while her small delicate hand took his hand into hers. This truly was a dream come true. "That's a big pill to have to swallow…"

Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the laundry room door where the unmentionable late night activity between Daryl and Amy was occurring, Rick had now entered the kitchen. His taste buds craved something with caffeine, which led him to search for some coffee until he stopped beside the laundry door. He wasn't the only one up and active this time of night – the repeated sounds of shuffling within the laundry room startled him.

He knew for himself that a backdoor in the laundry room led to the outside. Could a walker have gotten in? Maybe even a straggler looking to swipe some valuables. He debated on whether or not to sound the alarm to the entire house, which would be wise. He quietly crept back towards the bedrooms where his python was stashed on the night stand.

Along the way Rick unexpectedly felt the oxygen in his lungs leave when a strong built body collided with him. Focusing his eyes in the darkness it became obvious the figure was T-Dog, due to his darker skin complexion than any other person. "Hey watch it Rick. My arm still in the process of healing."

Rick shifted in anticipation on his feet. "I'm sorry T-Dog, I'm sorry. I couldn't exactly see you in the dark." The sheriff deputy took a large gulp upon realizing how wrong that statement came out. T-Dog didn't look amused or happy either. "Again I'm deeply sorry. I tend to ramble when I'm nervous, and when I'm nervous I don't think rationally about what I say or do."

"Hey what's going on?" A voice filled with exhaustion pierced the silence between the two men. Stepping out from within the shadows was Glenn, adjusting his cap some as he let out a deep yawn. "A bit late for some milk and cookies?"

"Yeah Rick, what're you doing up this late. You acting like you're bout' to shoot someone." T-Dog said. Both he and Glenn immediately hushed up upon having Rick pressed his index finger to his lips.

Rick quietly led the two younger men over into the kitchen, taking tender steps as they all edged closer to the laundry door. Just as he had detected the noises, T-Dog and Glenn knotted their faces in confusion as well. Apparently T-Dog's prediction had been correct on Rick's preparation to shoot something. "What do we do? It could be a walker trying to break in." Glenn whispered.

T-Dog hissed at the pain flaring in his arm. "How the hell could that of happened? Ain't nobody been washing any clothes with Tide or some shit."

"Either way there's something funny going on in there.

T-Dog lifted the three fingers to his good arm, slowly counting down from three to two and finally to one. On the signal he and Glenn opened the door, kicking it in and storming into the room armed with knives and flashlights. They had been prepared for either a walker or an intruder, expecting either one. However, the outcome of either one occurring wasn't the case when the pair stormed in.

As for Daryl and Amy the pair had carried on with their kissing, with the two coming to the conclusion no clothes would be fully removed, with the exception of Daryl leaving his shirt unbuttoned. Like the guilty pair they were they immediately leapt apart from each other – Amy yelped, cheeks reddened with embarrassment as Daryl quickly began fastening the buttons to his shirt.

"Jesus China man, what the hell? Ever heard of knocking?" Daryl said spurned from pure sarcasm. Even at a moment like this he was amazed he had a sense of humor.

Glenn's body visibly racked from the shock of the view before him. It wasn't from the sleep deprivation or the added interest sparked on by the farmer's daughter, this was very much real. Amy had been caught in the act of preparing to do the dirty in the laundry room with Daryl Dixon. His worst fear had become a reality. The Korean teenager rubbed at his eyes before speaking. "Amy? _Amy?_ Tell me this is a dream. If I'm not dreaming then my mind is seriously fucking with me right now. You're not actually with this guy, are you? Amy say something!"

There was no escaping from her best friend's string of questions. She and Daryl had been discovered, just as they were about to declare their pending relationship status. Unable to answer, all the blonde could do was look away in shame and jump down from the washing machine.

"Hey! _This guy_ is standing right here you know." Daryl sarcastically retorted.

"Daryl stop it! Glenn. Glenn… I can explain-" Amy began to fearfully tell Glenn that she hadn't planned for any of this to happen. She'd never expected for her Carl, and Sophia to be separated from the group and in the care of Daryl. She'd never expected to spend day after day by his side, growing on him, learning from him, or even falling for him. Just about the same as she'd thought he'd actually kiss her.

Glenn was now completely disgusted and outraged at his friend. They had both been warned of Merle and Daryl the day the brothers entered the camp, especially after Ed Peletier's foul mouth had received a fist from Merle after a rude welcome to "Larry the Cable Guy" as he called him. Everyone knew well enough to stay away except for Amy, who continued to show kindness despite Daryl's harsh attempts to steer her away. "Explain what? That you're running around with Daryl Dixon, banging him on a laundry machine like a typical high school hook up. I can't believe you would do this after you promised me you'd stay away from him. You're only going to get hurt, and that is what I've been trying to avoid."

"First of all I never promised that. And second, you don't know that Glenn. You only listen to what other people say."

Glenn argued back. "When more than one person says something then maybe it just might be true."

"Well then maybe all those people are judgmental assholes. It hurts to know that you of all people could be so judgmental. This is my life, my decisions that I am aloud to make on my own. You haven't even tried to understand from my point of biew." Amy argued.

"But Daryl's not good enough for you Amy. He never will be." Glenn hissed louder than he expected his voice to go out of fear the entire house would be awakened. He flinched obviously once the anger became evident in Daryl's eyes and voice.

Having completely forgotten to do up the last three buttons to his sleeveless shirt Daryl found his natural reaction of rage coming over him. He hissed through his teeth at Glenn. "Hey now, you best not tell me who I am and ain't good for! You ain't know a damn thing bout' me or her you little shit. How bout' you come say that to my face China man!" Daryl had already begun marching over towards Glenn, preparing to fight while Amy fought to get a strong grip on his shirt. She had to physically place herself in front of him just so he wouldn't unleash his rage on her best friend.

On the opposing side Glenn had also grown bolder in stepping up to Daryl – he continued to seethe with anger while T-Dog held him back with his good arm. "Don't do it man. Come one now, it ain't worth it youngster. It ain't worth it man."

Caught along the crossfire with her best friend and the man she loved, Amy didn't know what to do or say in that given point. Looking back and forth as Daryl and Glenn went at each other like rabid dogs only caused the tears to flow from the teenager's eyes. "Stop. Stop." Amy silently mouthed.

As scrawny as Glenn was compared to T-Dog's much more muscular structure, he still made numerous attempts to push away from the older man's grasp. "You couldn't even give her everything she deserved. What if you get her pregnant? Then what good would you do for her?"

Daryl surprisingly chuckled despite the overwhelming need to smash Glenn's face in. "Well at least I have the proper tools to give a woman what she needs."

"Wha… that's not… screw you Daryl!"

The tears were well past having fallen, falling from Amy's cheeks like a powerful waterfall. "Stop. Just stop it already. I can't handle this." She wiped the tears that now stained her cheeks, sniffling loudly which seemingly caught the attention of both Daryl and Glenn. "Please. Don't fight."

"C'mere." Daryl said, engulfing the shaking girl into an assuring hug which Amy needed dearly. Glenn could kiss his ass for all he cared, especially when Daryl knew how much Amy needed some form of comfort. His arms both sat on her lower back, only until he brought his hand up to stroke Amy's blonde hair, playing with the soft blonde locks that he absolutely loved to toy with. "I'm sorry I got you into all this shit. Obviously I'm not good enough."

"No don't say that. You're good enough for me."

While the three caught in the middle of a hellish throw down, Rick had been in his room fumbling for his python, the same one he continued to drop repeatedly. By the time he finally raced down the stairs and returned to the laundry room, he only discovered a scene which was quite shocking. "What's going…on?" Rick questioned looking at everyone.

Wait a minute. Something was completely not right with the sight before him. There was Daryl holding a crying Amy in one corner while T-Dog kept Glenn back with his good arm. He looked at Daryl then he looked at T-Dog, then looked back at Daryl. "Um… can one of you clue me in on what's going on here?" Rick asked. Obviously there was no attempted walker or bandit break in.

"I'll tell you what. He's a fucking child-" Glenn tried informing Rick.

"Shut up Glenn!" T-Dog said with heavy annoyance in his voice. He didn't truly care what the outcome of the ordeal of Amy and Daryl became. All he wanted was to hit the pillows before fluffing them up for a much needed rest.

Amy whimpered into Daryl's chest, quite fearful of Rick being aware as well. Rick was an honest man who aimed to do the right thing – the right thing possibly being notifying Andrea and Dale about Daryl and putting an immediate stop to anything else from happening. She feared losing Daryl deeply, so deep she hugged him as if he were her last life line. "No…. Daryl." She barely whispered.

"It's gonna be alright Amy. I promise. I ain't leavin' ya." Daryl gingerly planted a soft kiss on his girl's forehead.

Rick reddened a little, mostly from his embarrassment on how long it took him to catch on sometimes. It made too much sense – Daryl and Amy embracing each other while Glenn had a murderous look. Obviously the time away from the group provided time for some type of relationship to develop. "Oh ok. I see what the picture is looking like now. Amy? Daryl? Is this what I think it looks like?" Rick questioned somewhat monotone.

All Amy wanted to do was disappear along with Daryl away from having to answer. The moment of truth was finally visible. Not just for Rick and the others, but for Daryl and Amy themselves.

Amy's lip trembled and she began sniffling harder each time. Her only natural response was to seek comfort in Daryl, hugging him tighter while looking deep into his eyes. "I'm sorry." She muttered.

"No Amy, I am." Daryl kissed her forehead a final time, before turning to face Rick and the others. There was no point in hiding anything now. "If ya want somebody to answer to sheriff, it'll be me. I pushed for it to happen, I wanted it to cause I want her. Obviously it ain't something China Man is a fan of, but really couldn't I give two shits. I know what I want and I don't care if ya'll have a problem with it."

T-Dog snorted. Lines like those were typical in most relationships with age gaps. He knew too well himself as he had come close to staring down his ex-fiance's daddy's shotgun. He had been nineteen when he met a fifteen-year-old Caitlin Whitbeck at Sonic one summer – and he remembered the struggle to keep their relationship strong when many wanted them apart.

"That's bullshit. Of course I'm not a fan of _this_ you pervert. This is bull-"

"Cut that shit Glenn." T-Dog interrupted harshly. He shoved Glenn aside to where he was outside the laundry room, where fists or words wouldn't be assaulting Daryl. "The girl has a mind of her own under all that blonde hair. If she wants to be Daryl's lady let her do it – last time we all checked she became legal. So technically there ain't no crime being committed. What do you think Rick?" T-Dog stated with confidence, sure to have look in the couple's direction with a wink to assure them all would be alright.

Amy politely mouthed a thank you while Daryl nodded with appreciation. For a man who truly despised Merle for the racist prick he could be, T-Dog sure didn't have a problem having Amy and Daryl's backs. After all it was Daryl and Merle's drugs which helped fight any infection.

"Not another pipe out of you Glenn." Rick warned the young man. Once the lid was placed down on the situation for Rick he took a moment to breathe. Allowing everybody to place their words and opinions now was the time for action to be taken. "Well first off, some space will be required for me to talk to these two. Ya'll will need to disappear for the night."

T-Dog nodded with respect and did as he was asked. "You got it Rick. Come on."

"Come on you two." Rick demanded, exiting the small room in favor of the kitchen.

Reluctantly following suit the pair exited the laundry room, Amy was more so dragging her feet. She truly dreaded this conversation. If only she could wish for Daryl's carefree attitude, wordlessly watching him swing his arms freely around with the complete lack of concern.

The three leaned against the table only to stomach a brief discussion. The day had been long and everybody needed much rest.

"Now look, I'm hoping you both don't have the impression this is gonna be some big discussion. It's only a small preview of what I'm going to say tomorrow before the others arrive," Rick pressed his hands onto his heavily sleepy eyes that fought so hard to close. He then looked at both young adults back and forth. "Me personally, I don't see an issue being that Amy is now eighteen. I'm not the person in this group with the problem – Andrea, Dale, Shane, and many of the others might not take too kindly to the idea of ya'll having a relationship."

Daryl scoffed noisily, only to have Rick and Amy hush him. "It ain't like we planned for some stuff. It just happened. We ain't had no love affair goin' on while we were gone. No relationship, no nothing. It'll all get figured out sooner or later, just don't go blabbin' to the whole damn group."

Listening to Daryl blatantly say that there was no relationship, that his whole scene with Amy could've been a hook up in the laundry room did sting her in the heart. Then again she fully understood that he did have a valid point – there was no relationship yet between her and Daryl. A kiss could mean so much more than simply just love and romance – plus with Daryl allowing a relationship would take him awhile. They would have to figure some things out before becoming official. "He's right. There was nothing going on back then, we just kissed for the first time today. He's never touched me in that kind of way before." Amy defended.

Rick looked at her with questioning eyes. They lingered on her before traveling towards Daryl who just boredly leaned against the wall.

"I'm serious! No bullshit. Do you really think we would flaunt that in front of the kids?"

"Ok. Well as far as this goes we'll talk about it tomorrow before Andrea and the others get here. Let's go ahead and get some rest." Rick politely ordered.

Amy responded by nodding her head firmly and slowly traveling towards the stairs

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><p>Also I haven't exactly been watching the Walking Dead, Teen Wolf or any of my other favorites shows lately so if Herschel's farmhouse had stairs or not in the show I don't remember, but in my story he has all his kids including television character Beth and my fictional character Melanie. So dudes gonna a two story house!<p>

Peace, Love, Starbucks

Beachbunnyluvsu


	16. First Hurdle Is The Worst

I do not own the Walking Dead. But I do own all my fictional characters for this story and Life Goes On. Anyways I'm back! It's been four months I believe and I finally got to update again. Finals are coming up soon so I figured I'd go ahead and upload a new chapter until Christmas break. This picks up where I last left off with Daryl finally making a move on Amy. It also seems to be my "pick on Amy" chapter as many people are giving her so much shit. Poor girl can't seem to catch a break. But it's only the beginning and so is everything with Daryl.

See Daryl's like a mistreated stray - he doesn't know how to love, be loved, or trust yet because of his violent past, but still it hasn't fully stopped him from pushing Amy away completely. And poor Amy is obviously falling hard, but she's young and naive and has no idea what she's in for yet.

Keep reading and PLEASE PLEASE do get a chance to check out my other story Life Goes On. I have a chapter currently in progress but now I need to focus on finals. Until next time everyone.

Peace, Love, Starbucks!

* * *

><p>Amy had watched the dim stars shine brightly from the bedroom window for most of the night before finally succumbing to sleep. There was still the constant worry of Andrea learning the truth about Daryl. There was just the nagging in her brain of why at eighteen-years-old she was still treated like a little kid when she had in fact grown so much over the years compared to the spoiled, self-entitled bitch she was when she was fifteen.<p>

Why couldn't people just give her a chance? She might not have been one to handle the weaponry like most did, but she had proved herself to be useful and mature when needed. She constantly twisted and turned i n the sheets as her thoughts continued to toy with her mind before finally succumbing to sleep.

Feeling the warm sun soak into her skin was one form of relief – as for waking inside the safety of a home with friends, food, and hospitality was another step. Amy blinked away the sleep coating her eyes heavily, stretching her muscles into place as they maneuvered inside her sleeping bag.

Maggie had been kind enough to allow Amy to sleep in her room with her. Thankfully it was far enough from Glenn, who would greatly need his distance today. After the confrontation he and Daryl had the previous night she wasn't exactly too sure what to think of him other than down low for calling Daryl names. But the main point bought up by T-Dog was correct – she was eighteen now, meaning she should have every right to make her own decisions. No more kid stuff.

Tossing the cover off her body, the young woman forced herself to roll from her comfort zone and walk into the bathroom to prepare her morning routine. Maggie, having already awoken and dressed herself, left out essentials such as shampoo, toothpaste, and soap. It started off with a quick five minute shower and swung into a routine shorter than the usual. In the past she had been so materialistic and concerned with her physical appearance the most she'd spent preparing herself was over an hour, attentively applying all her makeup to perfect her appearance. Only today, that was all about to change.

Instead of her usual over the top outfits she settled for a simple and comfortable outfit. Maggie had been kind enough to loan Amy her loose fitting black V-Neck shirt with the words "Luke and Whiskey Make Me Frisky". The brunette had just finished brushing her teeth and had left a clean toothbrush for Amy. Maggie giggled lightly just by looking at her shirt - it was one of her many Luke Bryan shirts she had collected, with the exact shirt she had shoplifted when she was sixteen. "Good memories with that one." Maggie said.

Amy had just shimmied on the ripped jeans given to her. She had been on a one track mind and barely heard from Maggie. "Excuse me?"

"That shirt. It's been one of my many favorites for years now. I didn't have the money to buy it, so I ended up spending the night in a jail cell all for a shirt. A Luke Bryan shirt at that. And some nail polish, other clothes, oh and they took my cigarettes from me."

"Wow. See that's why I don't listen to country music. Not only is it the most depressing music out there, but it makes people do bat shit crazy things."

Maggie laughed in response at Amy's comment. She could tell just by how approachable and lively she was that this young girl would be someone she would enjoy having around the farm. It felt good to finally be in company of somebody close to her age who wasn't related to her. Yes, she loved her brothers and sisters all the same. "I call bullshit. Don't knock it til' you try it. The shampoo and other stuff should be in the bathroom." Maggie said politely. The girl was a guest and she was to be treated like one.

"Thanks." Amy smiled politely in the brunette's direction before she exited the room to allow her to get ready. Maggie's friendly green eyes reminded her all too much of Andrea's, a set of eyes which she desired to see again.

So it wasn't a dream – she did kiss Daryl the previous night. Just by marking that step of intimacy with him, she figured it must've signaled things would be getting serious after some time. Not just by kissing him, but by the fact that he was willing to fight with her to work out a relationship._  
><em>

The only item left to complete her outfit were her pink Chuck Taylor's, which Amy lazily began searching for in the room. She had barely heard the door creak slightly open. "Amy?" Lori's gentle voice startled the teenager momentarily who looked as if she were preparing to turn her footwear into weapons. "Sorry for the miniature heart attack, but I was just coming to check up on you. You sleep good last night?"

"Yes ma'am. It might not be a five star hotel, but I haven't slept as good the past few nights." Amy replied politely with respect like she had been taught. "Oh yeah, how's Carl doing? I thought I'd go ahead and check up on him today if I could."

Lori Grimes felt her heart sink as if a bullet had pierced it. As a mother just the thought of harm reigning down on her child frightened her deeply. Even though she and Rick were happily informed Carl would be alright thanks to Shane retrieving the supplies. "He's doing a lot better compared to last night. Thank you so much for being sweet and asking. Just catching up on some needed rest. But keep in mind he's an adventurous boy and staying still for a long time will be challenging." She said, crooking her hip while gently squeezing the door's knob.

The blonde couldn't help but laugh at the thought of Carl griping while remaining bedridden. "He had to be going absolutely stir crazy. "Poor thing. Knowing Carl, I'm pretty sure he's having fun barking out orders like he has room service."

"Oh you know it. Anyway there's breakfast in the kitchen. I'm pretty sure every food group has been covered and is down there waiting to be devoured. Feel free to help yourself to some."

Amy smiled, having now spotted her shoes tucked away under a mess of clothes. "Thanks! I'll be down before you know it Lori."

Just the thought of food being made fresh from a farm sent Amy Palmer nearly sprinting down the stairs. She would've made it had she not felt Lori's gentle grasp on her wrist. She narrowed her eyes in confusion, even as Lori crooked her head as if she expected Amy to know why she was stopped. "I just wanted go ahead and put this out – if you ever need anybody to talk about anything regarding _girly things _I'm more than willing to talk with you."

She knew she hit a major artery when she said that. Before her eyes the heat flushed over Amy's cheeks and her chest began rising more than expected. "Rick told you about last night didn't he?" Amy questioned quietly.

"Oh yes. He told me more than the ear could fill. Daryl… is a different story compared to the others. I know we've been in your ear about steering clear of him, but obviously time has proven us to be wrong. Proven me wrong Amy. All I can do is state the obvious, which is that you are an adult with your own decisions and consequences to those decisions. If you wish to follow your heart and be with Daryl... then I can assure you I won't act as an obstacle. But then again, if he does anything to hurt you I will be coming after him with a butcher knife."

"You sound just like my dad. Only difference was he always promised he would have a gun." Amy admitted with a sad smile she tried to keep on her face.

Lori nodded in assurance. She knew Amy missed her parents very much so and at some points early on used to weep for them badly. "Yes, I understand. Come on down and have some breakfast before it gets cold."

Nodding in approval, Lori quietly excused herself to allow the young woman time to prepare herself. Looking back at the door a final time, Amy tossed on her shoes before she treaded down the stairs all while unleashing a large intake of breath held in. As if things with Shane were already tense enough last night the level of bad would only accelerate to down right ugly if he, Dale, or Andrea found out about Daryl and Amy's now budding relationship.

The overwhelming whiff of newly made breakfast was an absolute delight to awake to. Not having much of an appetite at the moment Amy swiped a plain bagel from a plate before smearing it with cream cheese, then happily chomped down on her bagel and exited the house to search for Daryl and Sophia. Being much too infused in her breakfast did she finally look around to see the faces of the house's occupants from last night. She had nearly bumped into a slightly taller yet toned and muscular young man wearing a blue muscle shirt with the sides cut out, showing his various tattoos. Beside him had been a girl roughly around Amy's age - beautiful, dirty blonde hair, slightly tanned skin, and pure green eyes. It wasn't until she focused in on her eyes did she realize her identity. "Jenelle? Jenelle Myers? My God. You... You're alive. You too?"

She stared right back at the bewildered Amy. Giving her a look with venom, one no different from Monster or Melanie Greene's, one of Herschel's twin daughters. She and the young man both exchanged knowing looks, before he exited the kitchen out the front door. The girl quietly turned back to face Amy before speaking. "Amy Palmer. Big surprise seeing you with your throat intact. So how did you survive? Toss a make up bomb or two at those things?"

Amy felt her stomach drop from the words. She stepped closer. "Jenelle. Look, that was a _long _time ago. I know I might have done and said some very cruel and undeserving things to you and your friends, but I promise I'm different. I hadn't even talked to Amber or even Logan after graduation. With everything that we've been through... I realized the importance of changing for the better and treating people right and that there are privileges more important than a cell phone. We kinda have to get past it all in this day and time. I-If you want we can start over. If not friends then civil."

Jenelle stiffed a laugh. "You might have? Wow... After all this time it's crazy to see you still haven't accepted any fault. You did do that shit Amy Palmer, because you were that kind of person who thought because you had a silver spoon in your mouth and a set poms poms in your hands that earned you the right to run that school like a fucking tyrant. So you know what? I congratulate you on finally amounting to something other than a piece of ass - because for a second I thought that was how you planned on getting through life."

The remark made Amy swallow hard, feeling as if she would be sick. It wasn't like Jenelle was telling lies. "I deserved that, I'm not going to lie. I'll admit I did do a lot worse than not invite you to my sweet sixteen."

Jenelle continued. "You're goddamn right you did. It was one thing to routinely try and make me and my friends lives a living hell in that school. But it was a whole new level when you and that bitch Amber placed my families' personal problems out like some article for the entire school to get a laugh at. I will not lie to you about one thing Amy and please don't flatter yourself - you are beautiful to the point where I was jealous, but you have always been absolutely disgusting on the inside. So all this talk about how you've changed and how we should be friends you can throw that bullshit outside of your head. I hate _you_. You stay out of our way and we'll gladly stay out of yours."

On that note both girls parted ways at least with some form of peace. This wouldn't be the end of Amy's drama with Monster and his clique, but as of now she had more important priorities to tend to. She had barely recognized Shane, newly shaved head and overalls, approaching. "Shane. Good morning." Amy picked at the strands of her hair all while looking between he and Daryl uncomfortably. To think how lifeless and cold Shane seemed after last night, it was petrifying to imagine his reaction when he figured about her and Daryl. Both men had never been able to get along.

The cop calmly nodded newly buzzed off head clean of hair, lifting a small smile. Although it wasn't that wide, goofy Shane Walsh smile he normally sported it was still the effort. "Morning Amy. I'm glad to see you've been taken care of during your time away."

"Of course I've been. Why so surprised Shane? You sound like you have your doubts."

Shane nodded casually with a soft smile etched on his face. "I never said that. I'm just checking."

"And I'm just letting you know."

How annoying. The nerve of that bastard! Shane actually wanted to find some kind of dirt just so he had a reason to rag on Daryl. He wasn't the first and sadly he would not be the last. Amy had just happened to glance around the farm's vicinity until her eyes locked onto Daryl and Sophia, both walking around with Magnum on a leash tagging along. The teenager nervously chewed her lip just thinking about the events of last night. What if he tried to act like nothing even happened?

Being on Magnum patrol with Daryl along with the absence of Carl due to the extent of his injuries, Sophia was having a difficult time just standing still in the smoldering heat. She had already hung around Herschel's two youngest daughters Beth and Melanie watching them collect eggs with Patricia. She'd had fun talking with Melanie while the more reserved Beth added a nod every now and then. Collecting stones and wood didn't sound the least bit thrilling and there were already enough hands helping so she figured hanging with Daryl would be more worth her while. After all they had grown to be comfortable and secure the past few days. She, Daryl, and Magnum were stationed under one of the many trees seated on Herschel's land which provided shade.

"Hey Daryl. I got this joke I want to tell you. Knock knock?" She innocently said showing her bright teeth with a wide smile.

That percentage of the conversation had been completely missed by Daryl. It wasn't that he was being bitter towards Sophia for trying to have a sense of humor – he had problems which would be far worse than that. He sourly replied. "I ain't home. You can try back later if ya want."

Sophia accidentally tugged much too hard on Magnum's leash causing the pup to yelp. Rubbing on the pup's head as an apology she then asked again, this time a bit more frustrated. Daryl was not cooperating easily with the jokes. "Fine then. I'll start it off different. Is Mr. Wall home?"

"No?"

"Is Mrs. Wall home?" Sophia continued.

This joke was beginning to twist and tug at his brain probably leaking every bit of intelligence Daryl had reserved in it. "No."

"Are there any walls there?" Sophia placed a hand over her mouth when she felt herself about to laugh, while Daryl was much too confused. "Do you get it?"

Obviously Sophia wouldn't be winning an award for the top comedian in Georgia. Or anywhere for that matter considering the world had gone to hell. Daryl popped the annoying crook in his neck, scratching his already sweating head. "Sophia… do me a favor there kiddo. You can keep telling jokes if you wanna, just don't fool yourself into thinking that was funny cause that… that was terrible."

"Huh? Oh come on. I'm young! Give me a little bit of credit."

"Hey look. It's Amy." Sophia said, pointing in the direction of Herschel's front porch where Amy and Jenelle were in deep discussion. Just to further antagonize the redneck even more, the blonde pre-teen began making a series of kissing sounds with her lips puckered in a mock motion. Reacting quickly, she crossed her arms behind her back and placed the most nonchalant look on her face to feign her supposed innocence once Daryl turned back to eyeball her.

She only became more tempted to laugh upon catching the look on Daryl's face. His bright cheeks wouldn't do him justice even if he tried to deny anything. "Wh-What the hell ya tryna' say? Me and Amy ain't got nothing goin' on. Ah come on now! It ain't like she my girlfriend."

"But I never even got to say that. Why so quick to be defensive?" Sophia innocently questioned.

Daryl kicked a pine cone lying on the ground nearby. "Because it ain't true and the last thing I need is more gossiping hyenas just waiting to rip me to shreds on something I ain't even did."

"Or someone for that matter." Sophia added for the fun of it.

Daryl growled. "Shut up Sophia." He just now concluded that she and Carl had spent way too much time around him and his colorful vocabulary. Maybe it would be best if they both had their needed distance from one another before Sophia got them both into trouble with her potty mouth. _"Well shit. Atleast she's finally startin' to change for the better. Foul mouthed lil' shit, but not as quiet. The room kept for the quiet, tender hearted in this world is startin' to become slim." _

Daryl had remained standing alongside Sophia and Magnum when Amy and another girl exited the house, only to end up on the porch in deep conversation. With her in plain view as well as the new shirt she was wearing, Daryl had damn near laughed his ass off after reading the wording on the shirt Amy was wearing. Knowing for certain how horrible she had been from picking mushrooms to handling a gun, no one would've never thought to find a pampered city girl like Amy Palmer wearing a shirt referencing Luke Bryan and whiskey. Oh the irony.

Besides the shirt, Daryl had noticed the look on Amy's face had gone from eager to a look of frustration as she conversed with this girl. The redneck quickly stood up in shock once he watched as the girl roughly pushed at Amy's shoulder. It looked as if a bad rerun of Jerry Springer were about to take place. Whatever their issues were the two girls would have to work them out themselves.

Clearly what he assumed was a calm discussion between the two girls looked as if it would erupt into a cat fight. Amy was currently shooting the same daggers at the girl the same way she had done to Daryl when he'd crossed her at the mall that one day. His wouldn't put it past the girl to do some serious damage to somebody after all the shit she had learned from him. With their last string of words flung at one another the two girls parted ways, with the girl walking over by the trees and Amy in Daryl's direction.

"And that's my que to leave. Please refrain from slobbering all over each other." Sophia said jokingly. Just as the pre-teen predicted, Daryl gave out a roar of frustration as he began giving chase. Having been smart and picked up Magnum Sophia left Daryl in a trail of her own dust as she sped off giggling to avoid the cuff on the head she had coming.

_"Damn brat. I'll get her when she ain't lookin'." _Daryl thought. Once he leveled his icy blue eyes with the teenage girl who approached she wrapped her arms around him in a comforting embrace. "Hey. I'm glad you're here." She admitted openly. Untangling his fingers in her long blonde hair he fully returned the embrace, obviously not too quick to let go as was Amy. He eventually pulled from her knowing others would catch on soon and try to make it their business.

Here he had a wonderful girl in his arms that was willing to care about him - the big problem was he wasn't so sure how to let her care. Just as he felt himself finally beginning to slide out of his shell, everything he had faced in the past made him want to hide himself away from Amy. They'd had their brief discussion last night about feelings and whatnot, but was he ready to really prepare and settle down? He'd never even been in love or allowed anyone to truly love him. He gently whispered in Amy's ear. "I can't say the same for other people."

Both turned quickly to face the least happy person standing on the porch of the Greene farmhouse: Glenn. The most awkward and gawky individual from the camp had a look of anger flashing in his chocolate eyes, completely unhappy with his friend's choice in men. If he hadn't said all he needed to say the previous night before to Daryl, then Glenn was a man down on his luck - T-Dog respected and honored men who stepped up to the plate and watched out for children and women the way Daryl did with Amy, Carl, and Sophia. So he made it a point to keep Glenn away from either one of them and allow the two their time to figure things out.

"Let them stare until their eyes burn out. And please no jokes about Glenn's eyes. I should've never said that." Amy warned. She regretted even saying that now. Daryl would more than likely use it against Glenn when the time came for an argument.

Daryl smiled mischievously. "I wasn't even bout' to go there, but hey thanks for giving me the idea." He motioned for her to follow to which she did. Together the two walked the grounds of the farm in silence for the first few moments.

Amy found herself at a loss for words upon looking over at some of the people collecting rocks and wood from the ground of the farm as they both walked beside the chicken's fence. There would become a memorial for Otis held on the outskirts of the farm once the remainder of the group got there. Even though he was the man responsible for shooting Carl, still that man did deserve a descent memorial since he couldn't be buried there. She couldn't speak, but only found herself able to stare. Daryl had obviously sensed Amy's uneasy state seeing how focused she was from their conversation.

He had a wife and people here on the farm who loved him dearly like a family. There all together by the large trees collecting the stones and wood where Monster, Melanie, Beth, Owen, and Jenelle all working after their much needed breakfast. Colton Myers, Jenelle's older brother, wasn't too far away with Arnold, Billy, and Jimmy all three boys just leaning on the truck in their own conversation. From the looks of everything they were only taking a short break before they would have to resume working.

Pulling his pocket knife out, Daryl didn't fail to notice the look Colton shot in their direction. He knew this was directed at Amy as the boy had been shooting her the same daggers even as he left the house with the girl Amy had been fighting with. Had he been looking at Daryl Dixon crazy with those eyes then the motherfucker must've been looking to lose his teeth, arms, and his legs as well. "You know those kids? Cuz' I'm about three seconds away from going over and introducin' myself if pretty boy keeps lookin' back at me."

Amy looked at Daryl with widened eyes knowing he had been referring to Colton. Tensions were high enough with them all. The last thing she needed was to make things even worse. "They're not looking at you. Or me." She quickly added upon seeing the skeptical look on Daryl's face.

"Well I ain't never seen any of them kids before. And for a second I thought that chick was about to claw your eyes out. So, you wanna try and play that bullshit by tellin' me they're strangers."

The beautiful blonde ran a hand through her hair, chewing her lips in nervousness. The only boy who knew her too well had been Logan Ross, her boyfriend since the eighth grade. They shared many negative traits and were just alike in many ways - being privileged, popular, and mean-spirited their status' kept them together more so than anything else. Amy did love Logan. She always had even as they proceeded into high school where their relationship experienced the worst. But deep down inside even she knew it wasn't a love meant to be, only a disaster needing to end. She was not only ashamed of her past with him, but also the girl she had once been. "Whatever. Fine I do know them, but I highly doubt they wish to even remember me let alone wish to end up here with me. Let me just say... I wasn't the nicest person back when I was in high school. The guy over there looking at me, his name's Colton. The girl who almost bashed my head in is his sister Jenelle. And its not just them two. Monster, Owen, Beth, and Melanie _all _hate me. Its literally me against them."

"So y'all had a few spats in school. That ain't enough reason for them to give you the looks of death." Daryl said digging his hands into his pockets as he walked alongside Amy.

The blonde shook her head. "Trust me, it was more than just a few spats. If you even knew half of the person I was back then, you'd know _exactly_ why they feel the way they do. I have no solid reason to blame them at all for hating me so much. I mean yeah I wish they would look beyond the past, but as of now I don't have their trust. I was a selfish, manipulative, and vapid person with no regards as to how I treated people, even knowing that they had enough problems. Like Jenelle and Colton. I can't say anything that will make things better, but I'll just have to prove in time that I've changed." Amy finished looking deeply into Daryl's eyes with a serious expression before turning away with guilt. Her frail fingers endlessly toyed with the ends of her hair.

"We all had a past before this life around us now. Bad or good it ain't the biggest thing to worry bout'. It's all bout' where we at now. Don't let that petty old high school drama become a priority when we all got bigger problems to handle. Cause' trust me there will be bigger shit along the way to hit the fan, and y'all lil' kids need to work out whatever it is that gotcha wantin' to kill each other. Welcome to the real world. You've been invited." Daryl explained, hands tucked in his pockets.

"I've already accepted the invitation." Amy finished.

The two young people walked and conversed in the short period of time they had before parting ways. He already felt bad enough subjecting Amy to the heat that would be coming. Daryl could tell by the look on Amy's face when he hugged her goodbye that she truly enjoyed his company, which made him somewhat nervous. The poor girl was getting attached like she expected them to be something. Who was he kidding? She _did _want them to be together. Having a relationship would mean trusting her, opening up, and being vulnerable which he wasn't good at. She was ready for something - unfortunately for her he wasn't. As he made his way back to the house he was beginning to wonder if he was even up for the challenge. Amy deserved better than him - a low class roughneck who couldn't figure out what he wanted.

Maybe it'd be best if he cleared his head and take a break to himself. He figured Carl could stand to use a "hospital" visitor today now that the kid was awake.

The cool blowing breeze and presence of the remaining survivors had already brought comfort, along with making the appearance of Dale's RV all the more thrilling. Slowly rolling its way up onto the dirt road leading to the gentle farmhouse not at all startled by the looming dead. Only those such as Amy and Sophia arose from their relaxing positions now that their missing family and friends had arrived as the large vehicle parked. And surely one by one they all began to slowly file out of the RV, other vehicles, and even Daryl's motorcycle.

Even the Infiniti Daryl had gotten from the Walmart parking lot had been retrieved. T-Dog and Daryl chuckled aloud, both men clapping in pure happiness as they snuck peeks at the alcohol inside along with the groceries. As for Monster, Billy, Owen, and the other teenagers they solemnly looked on at the liquor knowing they would be least likely to touch even a drop. "Daryl Dixon have you lost your mind? You are just asking for us to get kicked out." Rick said. He had noticed the alcohol and leaned in to whisper his concerns. Not that he was opposed to the consumption of alcohol but knowing the strictness of Herschel's rules he just didn't want to risk he and his people being forced out for opposing any rules. Herschel barely allowing any of his children or even Patricia to cuss would never allow the presence of alcohol in his home.

"Don't go worryin' King Grimes. I wasn't tryna' to throw a frat party. Don't be such a party pooper, you can always have some too." Daryl joked.

"Yeah. We can keep this as a discretion. Matter of fact Daryl and I can keep our lil' frat party to ourselves. You ain't got to worry about the rugrats getting into what don't belong to them." T-Dog said with a wide grin, slapping hands with Daryl. Rick shook his head and looked back in between the two - after tonight there would for sure be a solid friendship between these two.

Monster shook his head in disdain as he watched the liquor the vehicle before the door was shut. "You know there's_plenty _to go around just saying. So, before you even consider being wasteful just remember there are those who would gladly appreciate a bottle or two."

"Or three." Billy whined helplessly. He already knew what their conclusion would be. Especially what his father's conclusion would be considering that Herschel hadn't touched alcohol in years. It would be a cold day in hell before he allowed any of his children to drink under his roof.

T-Dog crackled in laughter. "Not even in your dreams youngster."

The first to exit out of the RV were Jamie and Billy, both very much relieved to be off the interstate and in an area secluded away from the walkers. Jamie, who didn't fail to spot Sophia in the crowd, immediately made her way over to her as she was the first kid around her age to be seen alive in months. And a girl at the most. Next out came Andrea and Dale who raced over to Amy the moment they spotted her at last. "Amy. Thank God!" Andrea cried into her sister's shoulder. They could all finally rest with relief and happiness now that they were all reunited the three of them embraced, all three of them crying in relief and happiness of their reunion.

An equally overjoyed Amy wasn't feeling any different. She, Andrea, and Dale all muttered their "I missed you's" and "Thank God you're safe's". Tears were now cascading down her red rimmed eyes as well, hugging Dale and her sister as tightly as she could manage to. From today on out she would be more aware of her surroundings and the danger to prevent a similar situation from occurring with them getting separated.

"Mom!" Sophia yelled, jumping down from the farmhouse's porch to race towards the RV once her familiar face was noticed in the fray. To say that Magnum was no longer a factor was an underscore – both mother and daughter hadn't seen one another in days.

Carol couldn't be any relieved and became more engulfed by her emotions. "Sophia! Sophia! Oh baby you're here. It's ok I got you now. I prayed every night that you were safe." Carol said placing a gentle kiss on her daughter's temple. With both of her children recovered alive and well she had to easily be one of the happiest women alive.

Remaining enclosed inside the juvenile detention bus were the survived escapees, along with Juan. He leapt back onto the bus with much pep in his step now that the depressing mood was massively lifted. "Come on guys. We finally found the other survivors. Nick, you ready to see your sister?"

Blake, who had begun to strip out of his musty uniform from the detention center, replaced the forest green jump suit with a cleaner muscle shirt and some jeans. Having raided many vehicles containing various suitcases of clothes was the task granted to the boys once the group returned to the interstate. Lucky for them all it was like Christmas in the summer time - they scored big on enough suitable clothes. "Yes! Back to a small slice of civilization. I can't wait to get out of these funky ass clothes."

"Now you noticed you stank. Nigga I was just about to ask who opened up a bag of corn chips." Kyndall joked, lifting himself up by the RV's seats and jumping over towards the door.

Blake shook his head with a smirk playing on his lips, knowing much unneeded weight had been lifted gracefully from his shoulders. Shoes laced up good and tight he then proceeded to start exiting the RV more than prepared to see good people and taste good food too. Stopping and turning his entire body, he was confuse to shit as to why Nick was still aboard. "Hey skipper? Why the long face? For it to be one of the best days beside the usually the worst, you look sad. Like you have blue balls or something."

Nick clearly didn't understand the idea behind the joke. Which explained why he furrowed his brows in Blake's direction. "Dude..."

"My bad. Body parts don't belong in a serious conversation. I'll take a mental note of that and save it." Blake used the seats to lift his feet up and dangle them midair as he swung them playfully. He studied the much younger teen's face all while trying to get a reading as to what Nick may have been feeling or thinking at the moment.

Nick sighed heavily before burying his face into his palms. He resurfaced just to look Blake in the face. "It's not you man. It's just... she doesn't need to see me like this. I'm a piece of shit. After all I promised, how could I betray her?"

"You made a mistake Nick. Do you have any idea how long she must've been waiting to see you? How many nights your sister probably spent crying for you"

Beating the table with his fist a single good time, Nick ejected himself from his seat as he then walked over to the blinds pushing them aside some. Although he couldn't get a full view of everything going on outside the RV, he did manage to get the best glimpse he could at the right given moment just as his mother delicately lifted Sophia up above just like they both had always done when she was little. She had always used to love it. "I'm not stupid I already know that. Sophia's always been smart, maybe even smarter than me. It'll only be a matter of time until she starts asking questions like why I went in in the first place. She _still_ thinks it was for fighting."

"Then all there is left to do is prove her wrong. You can't undo your past mistakes, but you can always make up your future achievements. I know you feel like crap, but you ain't got time to mope about. They are something for you to wake up to in this world and smile at every single day." Blake pointed at both Carol and Sophia through the blinds. "I'd give an arm or leg to have my family back. And no matter how much of a lost cause you might be, they will always love you. Now come on. There's a little girl out there ready to see her big brother."

Carol smiled warmly down at her precious daughter who excitedly squeezed her beloved doll. It had been a gift handed down from Eliza as a memory once the girls had parted ways when Eliza and her family had left. They all had become best friends. Carol knew she would be just as happy to be reunited with her doll as she would with her brother. Knowing the best surprise had been saved for last she and Dale both exchanged knowing looks of joy. "You know the best gifts are usually saved for last. Hasn't anyone ever told you that Sophia?" Dale asked aloud to Sophia. He too knew what stood behind the doors of the RV

The pre-teenaged girl turned back as confused and thrown off as ever. "Yes sir. Kinda like at Christmas when the nicest presents were always left last to open so it would end with the best gift. Why are you telling me this?"

"Because there's something better waiting for you inside the RV."

Confused yet eager to accept this supposed "gift" most of the adults were claiming was so wonderful had Sophia stand before the RV, eyebrows furrowed as she watched Blake calmly exit as he hopped from the RV only to join Madison. In the beginning she thought she had been cheated until the second passenger exited calmly with his eyes leveled at the ground - brown eyes then met brown when the teenager leveled them back at the young girl, nearly causing her heart to skip a few beats.

The boy staring back at her was Nick, and he was alive and well. The unexpected shock of finally being reunited with her thought-to-have-been-dead-sibling nearly caused young Sophia to drop her doll in the dust. The sounds of Nick's footsteps on the earth before them both could be heard, yet they seemed so faint as the moment seemed so surreal. "

"Hey peanut." Nick muttered with a small smile. As strange as it seemed to some it had been a given nickname for his sister when Carol had been pregnant. But it had been a nickname he always called her, and he did so then just to prove he was not a dream. That he was really there before her.

"Nick! Nick!" Sophia screamed as loud as her small body could allow her to scream, unleashing all the joy and relief bottled in her heart. The race from the front porch to the RV must've felt like a leap because before she could get her emotions together Nick had scooped her into a massive bear hug and buried his face into his little sister's shoulder. "I knew you were alive."

Carol was ever so ecstatic both of her children were alive. As were Nick and Sophia were just as glad they wouldn't spend the rest of their lives thinking they'd become only children. Both Peletier children were a crying mess it even brought joyful tears to the eyes of the other survivors. Amy just started crying all over again knowing exactly how the brother and sister were feeling regarding their reunion - for them and for Carol, who she knew first hand wanted her son back more than anything. It was a miracle he was alive.

It wasn't until his eyes landed on the scruffy brunette man and the blonde haired girl before him. He already knew Amy from school and was very much surprised to see her alive. As for Daryl, the man he'd never met, he must've been the one who rescued Sophia and the others and kept them all safe for all that time.

"Thank you. Thank you for taking care of my little sister. From here on out you both have nothing but my trust and respect." Nick said ever so courteously to Daryl with great respect.

Amy broke away from Dale and her sister for the first time to properly converse with Nick. Looking between her and Daryl she couldn't express how proud and happy she was to be beside the man who had saved her life. Even though Daryl didn't like to admit he was a hero and it was the truth. "It ain't no biggie kid."

"No, it's a very big deal. Again thanks man."

Sophia was not amused at all. "Shut up Nick!"

* * *

><p>Before everyone departed ways the entire group retreated to the farm's outskirts for Otis' memorial. Everyone had stood silently listening to Herschel's prayers.<p>

Other than the fact that everyone was finally together again, the additional survivors brought hope. Much to Amy's surprise some were old faces she had recognized. Blake and Madison had gone to school with her and been apart of her graduating class. Blake had been the football team's running back while Madison had also been one of her close friends on the cheerleading team just as Julie. JoJo played volleyball while Kyndall played basketball. Nick on the other hand hadn't exactly been much of a friend - he was more of the troubled new kid that many kids in school feared or misunderstood. All she really remembered about him was that he hung out with Monster, Mel, and their group. Upon seeing one another they all held their happy reunion right before the RV.

As for Nick who was pretty close to Monster and his friends before he was arrested, he was just as relieved to see them all too. Owen couldn't be anymore happy for another of his friends to be alive. "Nick, dude you made it out too! I knew you were alive."

"What did the whole school decide to show up here? I didn't ever consider a farmhouse to be a place for survival."

Everyone spent the remainder of the day in the company of one another now that they were all together. In the wake of Otis' death and Carl's shooting, everyone learned from today on out to appreciate each other's company. Most of them even ate dinner with one another, except for Daryl and T-Dog, who excused themselves to drink their liquor in discretion. Food was served to all including the hidden alcohol Daryl and T-Dog had packed away.

Nick and Sophia created the most of the entertainment, teasing each other back and forth while Carol would repeatedly have to scold them for it.

Being the eldest of the teens, nineteen-year-old Colton had been allowed alcohol by Rick unlike those under eighteen. He just couldn't let Herschel see him. Although he reached the set limit of two beers, he managed to sneak more beer discreetly by pouring it into a coffee mug. Discretion didn't last long for Colton when the young man took an unfortunate tumble down the stairs. He damn near had taken Owen and Billy out like a bowling ball to pins. Chris and Julie had both been leaning beside the staircase and witnessed it all, thankful the kid didn't snap his neck by accident. "Nice one Myers. I give that one a six out of ten." Chris commented in a joking manner expecting to earn laughter from the crack. It did from Julie, but not from Tyrese.

Chris blew a sigh of relief when the muscular man turned his attention away from him. Sometimes he really hated Julie's father.

Colton taking a tumble earned much laughter from some of the people, such as Sophia, Jaime, and Billy who all pointed as they cackled trying not to spit their drinks out. Herschel was among one of the many who found Colton's drunken mishap far from hilarious. "Whatever in the world? Colton have you- have you been drinking?" He questioned the teenage boy sprawled out before him on his wooden floor. Herschel knew the answer all too well himself and just prayed that Colton made it to a bathroom before he vomited on his floor. This was one of the many downfalls of having teenagers in his house.

Colton who struggled just to sit up correctly on his ass burped a little. The alcohol had really begun to hit him and it was hitting hard too. "Maybe. There's nothing you can do about it now Hershey bar." Colton mumbled with a smile on his face. Beth looked over at her fraternal twin Melanie who dared not look her sister in the eye - only Melanie when angry with their father used that nickname as a way to insult his name as a way to anger Herschel. There was a reason what was said in their house stayed in their house.

"For all that's holy Colton! Can you go one night without getting drunk and stumbling over your own feet? This is a Christian household you're living under son. The least you can do is try to respect." Herschel stated with much frustration in his voice.

Jenelle shook her head before collecting her brother, throwing her his muscular arm over her neck and while trying to guide him towards Arnold and Billy's room. She muttered a quiet sorry under her breath before going towards the stairs."Damn. I fell like forever ago and it still feels like I can't get up. Why am I still falling?!" Colton slurred heavily, lazily sliding his vans shoes across the floor.

Colton had always been a wild one, investing more time in partying and baseball than studying in college. Sneaking her brother into the house when he had been out partying to avoid their parents was the usual routine for Jenelle and their younger brother Gatlin. "Because you're not picking up your feet asshole. I can't do all the work here. Your like a stone Colton."

"Sorry. I love you sis."

Jenelle sighed. Her brother was a pain in the ass sometimes, but afterall he was her one and only surviving family member. "I love you too Bubba. Sorry about my brother everybody. I'll make sure he gets put in bed and stays there."

Seeing how much trouble Jenelle was having in escorting her intoxicated brother, Glenn was quick to lend a helping hand. He placed an arm underneath Colton's before leading the latter to the stairs. He couldn't stand to allow a petite girl like Jenelle escort a muscular young man like Colton up the stairs without any assistance. Although tensions were high with both Glenn and Jenelle, Amy was still quick to offer assistance in getting Colton to the room. "Do you guys need any help?"

Glenn grunted from the frustration of having Colton's weight on him. And they were only at the bottom of the stairs. "We're got it from here Amy. Thanks, but no thanks." Glenn said through clenched teeth.

"Wow Amy. Somehow or another it looks like you've managed to piss everybody off around you. So much for a changed woman." Jenelle said rather mockingly, returning to her task of helping her brother up the stairs leaving Amy agape.

The blonde responded by presenting her middle finger. Glenn and Jenelle could both fall down a flight of stairs themselves for all Amy gave a shit. People could only hold a grudge for so long before it began to grow old. People and their stupid fucking attitudes and petty grudges had just marred the majority of her day. If that was how they both were going to be then so be it. "I tried. I'm done. I quit you both win. Good night and good fucking riddance." Amy said.

Being nosy like the curious children they were Sophia, Jaime, and Billy leaned forward upon hearing the "F" bomb being dropped by Amy. Sophia and Jaime had their hands clasped over their mouths while Billy stood in pure shock. Rick, who had witnessed the verbal smack down not too far away between the two teens, shooed the kids away. "Alright now y'all need to go on and git before I start saying some unpleasant words myself."

After about an hour or two the sleepiness began to set in. The youngest of the kids consisting of Carl, Sophia, Jamie, and Billy had already gone to bed, following the teenagers and then the adults. With Colton now tucked away sound asleep in bed, Glenn finally returned from upstairs just to go out on the porch and just think. He always sought for a secluded place when he lived at home with his parents. Things made a turn for the better today, but they still had their worries. Like Carl, Rick, T-Dog, Lori, and Amy. He was indeed pissed at his best friend for the recent turn of events involving Daryl - she really wanted to be with_that_ man and completely disregard everything she had been warned about. And now because of last night's fight the tension was ridiculously thick between them. He had already lost Kylie and Emily to this plague. Amy was like his sister too. He couldn't stand to lose her let alone see her get hurt. Things would get better in time as it always did with close friends. But right now his disappointment only made him push Amy away even more.

"You praying?" A soft voice called out followed by the sound of the front door slamming shut. Glenn turned quickly in defense since he had been caught off guard not expecting a sneak attack. The voice came from Maggie, one of Herschel's older daughters. Both young adults had briefly met the previous afternoon when he and T-Dog stumbled upon the farm. And then with Otis, God rest his soul, he barely had any time to converse with the farmer's daughter until tonight.

He sighed heavily in the rocking chair. "Why do you sneak up on people so much?"

She smiled before slowly leaning on the porch. "You're easy to sneak up on."

_"Ok fine. Got to hand it to her, she's got a sense of humor." _The nineteen-year-old smiled a bit just thinking. Aside from the fact that Maggie was a very attractive and playful young woman, she also seemed approachable. It was like she could read him like a book. "I was praying. Was trying to but..."

"You religious? You pray a lot?"

And so the questions continued. "Um... no. This is actually my first time. I could really stand to use the practice you know. I'm pretty sure God got the gist. I was just thinking and trying to pray for everybody. My friends and family. Looks like they could all use a little help right now. Well the ones who are still here. Oh... and I'm very sorry about your dad's friend. I know I'm terrible, but I'll try and pray for him as well."

Maggie crossed her arms. "Thank you. And I just wanted to apologize for wrecking your first time."

"No you're good." The former pizza boy said with his eyes still fixed on his beat up shoes. For some strange reason he felt comfortable with this girl like he was already beginning to understand her. It was a foreign feeling as he hadn't allowed many other girls in on his feelings and personal thoughts since they didn't really seem to bother knowing. "Do you think God exists?"

Maggie looked down into her lap with a heavy sigh. "I always took it on faith. Lately I've wondered everything that's happened there must've been a lot of praying going on. It seems quite a few went unanswered."

"Thanks. This is really helping. You gonna watch?" Glenn questioned seriously.

"No." And with that the short-haired brunette jumped down from the porch she had seated herself upon and approached Glenn who remained slumped in the rocking chair. "I'll tell you what though. I'll get you another refill if you'd like." She said before taking his empty glass and walking back into the house with it.

She had always fascinated him in a way. She might have pushed his buttons a little bit just then but she was indeed an interesting and challenging woman when she could be. Glenn was more intrigued than ever to know more about Maggie Green. Hopefully their stay at the farm would be much longer than they intended for it to be.


	17. Author's Note

Hi again everybody! Yes, just wanted you all to know that although I'm very much alive and well. Since I don't have the next chapters ready for any of my stories this is an author's note for everyone. School may be hell right now, but it hasn't killed me yet. I'm still going strong and making it work, but I had to take some extensive time off from writing and I am so sorry for doing this to you all. Every time I see all the reviews, favorites, and follows all of my stories have received it makes me feel good to know I am a part of this little Fanfiction family. You fans and readers all help me keep my heart in Fanfiction and give me a hobby where I can channel my energy into. But don't worry, school's almost over which means more time for writing, more Walking Dead and Teen Wolf, more updates, and I'll definitely need to revise some parts to my story. Until next time which shouldn't be far away, everybody have a good day.

Peace, Love, Starbucks

Beachbunnyluvsu


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